By James HoreA WORKER at a soft drinks factory suffered burns to his head, neck and arms when he was covered in boiling water from a vent. The 63-year-old man was working at the Britvic factory in Chelmsford when a waste water pipe became blocked, causing the spillage.
By James Hore
A WORKER at a soft drinks factory suffered burns to his head, neck and arms when he was covered in boiling water from a vent.
The 63-year-old man was working at the Britvic factory in Chelmsford when a waste water pipe became blocked, causing the spillage.
The man, who comes from Great Waltham, suffered 20% to 25% burns to his head, neck and arms, and also cut his eye on machinery as he tried to escape the liquid.
His colleagues used a hose to cool the burns while they waited for an ambulance to arrive at the Westway site.
The man, who has not been named, was taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for treatment to “fairly superficial” burns.
An Essex Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The 63-year-old from Great Waltham was working beside some machinery that has a vent pipe.
“For some reason the water inside boiled up and came out through the vent landing on the man who was below it.
“He has suffered 20% to 25% burns on the back of his head, his neck, back and arms. He also knocked his head on something, causing a laceration above his eye, as he tried to get away from the water.”
Britvic Soft Drinks, which bottles the popular J2O drink at the factory, said no-one else had been hurt in the spillage, which happened just after 8am yesterday.
“The incident occurred when a waste water pipe became blocked, causing hot water to be released from a high-level vent,” it added.
“The operative, who suffered minor scalding, was immediately treated at the scene and taken to hospital as a precaution. He has now been discharged from hospital.
“The cause of the blockage has been identified and rectified, with no adverse effect on production in the interim.
“This incident will be further investigated to ensure that preventative measures are put in place to prevent any future reoccurrence.”
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said Britvic would have to report the incident as soon as practicably possible.
james.hore@eadt.co.uk
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