The Health and Safety Authority have begun an investigation following an incident at a medical technologies firm in east Cork which has left a 32-year-old man in a critical condition.
It’s understood the man suffered severe burn injuries in the industrial incident at the US-owned Stryker plant in Carrigtwohill around 1pm on Tuesday and the emergency services were alerted. It’s understood that the man was working on changing a vent on the roof of one of the plants at Anngrove when there was an explosion and the man suffered serious burn injuries.
Several units of the Cork County Fire Service along with paramedics from the National Ambulance Service attended the scene of the incident which led to the evacuation of the plant.
The injured man was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he is undergoing treatment for severe burn injuries, but it’s understood that he is in a critical condition.
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The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said in a statement that “the authority is aware of the incident and had launched an investigation” but said that no further details were currently available.
Stryker, which is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the United States, has six sites in Ireland including three in the Carrigtwohill Industrial Estate and it employs over 4,000 staff in Ireland.
The company, which has been active in the Cork region since 1998, manufactures orthopaedic medical devices along with products for the treatment of brain aneurysms and strokes.
Earlier this year, the company won the Cork Business of the Year Award at the Cork Chamber Annual Awards. The company has been contacted for comment about the incident by The Irish Times.
Cork County Council confirmed that Midleton Fire Brigade received a call to assist with a medical emergency at Stryker’s plant at the Anngrove IDA Business Park in Carrigtwohill at 1.09pm
According to Cork County Council, it was reported that one person had suffered burns while working on equipment that was located on the roof and that the fire was out.
One fire appliance and an emergency tender responded from Midleton Fire Station. The fire crew from Midleton are still at the scene, said Cork County Council in a statement at 4.30pm.
Stryker confirmed in a statement that there had been an incident at its Anngrove facility and that the company was assisting the relevant health and safety authorities in investigating the matter.
“This afternoon there was an incident at our Anngrove facility which was managed by our emergency response team with support from local emergency services.
“Two people were transferred to the hospital and all others were safely evacuated from the facility,” said the company, adding it was committed to a safe and healthy work environment at all its facilities.