SSAB has temporarily suspended construction work at its new steel mill site in Lulea after around 20 subcontractor employees reported illness-like symptoms, the company said.
Some of the affected workers sought medical attention. As a precautionary measure, all construction activities have been halted, while steel production at the existing Lulea facility continues as normal.
SSAB has launched an expanded investigation to identify the cause of the symptoms, including additional sampling and measurements of air, soil and equipment across the site. The company said no abnormal values have been detected so far.
The only elevated readings were recorded on April 2 inside a tractor cabin during excavation work, where higher levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide were identified. Operators were using respiratory protective equipment at the time.
Sweden’s Work Environment Authority and police have initiated investigations into the incident, with SSAB stating it will fully cooperate.
The company added that the cause of the reported symptoms remains unclear, with further analysis ongoing. The incident has not had a material impact on the construction timeline or budget of the Lulea project, where SSAB is building a fossil-free steel mill to replace traditional coal-based blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces.
SSAB is a leading producer of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel products, with an annual crude steel capacity of about 8.8 mln tons across its operations in Sweden, Finland, and the United States.
