Some employees at a FedEx Freight facility in Des Moines say they are fed up after three chemical spills in about two months. In one spill, several employees went to the emergency room.Employees say the first, and perhaps most serious spill happened at the facility July 7 in the 5800 block of NE 22 Street in Des Moines. Employees say a worker inadvertently punctured a bulk container of formic acid. Formic acid, according to its safety data sheet, can cause difficulty breathing, nausea, coughing and more depending on the mixture of the chemical. "It was pretty obvious there was a spill," said Cody Coenen, who was working on the facility's dock that night. "As you go into it, you just had to cough."Coenen says the spill happened during the busiest shift. "Nobody in the higher-ups told us at first that there was a spill," he said. "They didn't acknowledge what it was, that it was even hazardous, or that it was potentially a poison."Coenen said he and other employees were offered facemasks, but kept working around the hazardous chemical. "A handful of employees had to be sent to the emergency room," he said.KCCI was able to speak with and independently confirm one of those employees who went to the emergency room. "The whole dock was flooded with toxic vapors," said Alex Patch, a FedEx Freight worker. "They didn't tell anyone. They didn't tell them what it was, or what the hazards were. They told them to get back to work."Patch and other employees filed a complaint with OSHA, who is investigating the July 7 spill. KCCI has filed a public records request for the investigation, but it was denied pending the open investigation.Then, employees say, it happened again on Aug. 11. Employees say a worker accidentally punctured a jug with a forklift, leading to a spill of poisonous pesticides. Then, again on Aug. 25, workers say there was another accidental spill of a toxic amount of methanol, and a flammable toxic N.O.S. liquid. No one was seriously hurt in either of these spills, but each time workers claim they were forced to continue to work."They didn't call the fire department," Patch said. "They didn't evacuate the building. They just told people to just keep working."Patch has now created a petition, called "Fed Up Fed Ex," demanding the company protect workers. They want an outside audit of the three spills, better access to personal protective equipment, notification to employees about the spills and what the chemicals are and training for management on how to handle hazmat situations. Patch did acknowledge that employees were given better access to earplugs and safety glasses."Everyone should be able to come to work at FedEx, and know and trust they're going to be safe and they're going to be protected," Patch said.Des Moines Fire says firefighters were never called to the facility for a spill, though they acknowledge the amount of chemicals spilled may not have required a trip from them.KCCI Investigates wanted to know what the dangers are, and what is proper protocol for a facility that spills chemicals around workers. Capt. Bob Suarez, who leads the hazmat team at Des Moines Fire, would not specifically comment on these spills because he is not sure of the mixture or the amount of what was spilled. But, he says in general, proper personal protective equipment should be given to employees working around spilled chemicals and employers should evacuate the required area where the spill happened.In a statement, FedEx did respond to a request to comment. "FedEx Freight is committed to safety above all, and has comprehensive policies, training, and other safeguards in place to help ensure the well-being of our team members. We are not able to provide further details on matters involving damaged freight or ongoing review," a company spokesperson said.When asked what those policies, training and safeguards are, FedEx did not respond to those specific questions.