Staff report

CONCORD — Four employees and an intern of the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office were taken to the hospital Wednesday after being exposed to carbon monoxide.

Sometime around 11 a.m. the employees reported a gaseous odor in the building.

The Cabarrus County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated and discovered moderate levels of carbon monoxide in the basement of the building.

The source of the carbon monoxide is under investigation. A possible source is from a piece of gasoline-powered construction equipment being used in the tunnel area of the jail annex construction site. The tunnel connects the future jail annex to the current Sheriff’s Office near the basement area where employees reported the gaseous odor.

To aid in airflow, fans were installed and the air system was adjusted in the basement of the Sheriff’s Office. Appropriate air quality at the Sheriff’s Office has since been restored.

According to a statement from Turner Construction Co., “Safety is a top priority on all of our job sites. We are cooperating with the county and authorities in this continuing investigation.”

The construction company is providing construction management services for the Cabarrus County jail project.

Four of the five employees have been released from the hospital. One sheriff’s deputy remains under observation at NorthEast Medical Center.

According to Aimee L. Hawkins, communications and outreach manager, the employees names could not be provided per HIPAA. No updated health conditions could be obtained without names.