A man was engulfed by a "fireball" at a recycling centre while carrying out maintenance work, according to the company. A significant emergency service presence arrived at the scene of the incident at Bryn Group facility on Gelliargwellt Uchaf Farm, Caerphilly.
The staff member was carrying out maintenance work at one of the biomass buildings when an unexplained fire was ignited. Posting on Facebook, a Bryn Group spokesman said the fire was extinguished quickly and did not further spread to other buildings on the site.
The staff member was treated at the scene by on-site first-aiders before South Wales Fire and Rescue Service arrived and provided treatment for burns. Wales Air Ambulance attended the scene scene along with the Welsh Ambulance service, which took him to Morriston Hospital in Swansea. You can get more Caerphilly news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The spokesman stressed that staff were trained in health and safety and that this was the company's first serious incident.
The post stated: "An incident occurred at the Bryn Group facility at Gelliargwellt Uchaf Farm today (Wednesday, August 31). that required a significant emergency services response. A member of staff was conducting a routine maintenance task in one of the biomass buildings, when an as-yet unexplained ignition caused a ‘fireball’ to engulf him. The fire was extinguished quickly and there was no spread to the building or stored materials.
"Our colleague received immediate care and treatment from our trained on-site first aiders, before a crew from the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service arrived and provided treatment for burns. Doctors and crew from the Wales Air Ambulance Charity provided specialist care and he was then transported to Morrison Hospital by Welsh Ambulance.
"The injured colleague is experienced and had conducted that same maintenance task countless times before. Both the Health and Safety Executive and Natural Resources Wales have been notified, and we will participate fully in a thorough investigation. Our staff are trained and, in many cases, certified in the tasks they undertake. That is why Bryn Group enjoys a good health and safety record, and why we have never before had a serious incident like this. We are keen to find out what happened today and to ensure it cannot happen again.
"We would like to praise and thank our on-site first aiders and the emergency services crews who attended today. Their efforts made a huge difference to our colleague, who remains in hospital but is doing well. We send him our love and best wishes for a speedy recovery."
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