Second blast at gas plant in less than seven months
One man was taken to hospital after an explosion occurred at 2.20pm yesterday at the Irish Oxygen plant on Waterfall Rd, on the western side of the city.
The man is understood to have suffered burns to his back, but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
Up to eight fire brigade units from Cork City and county attended the scene, as well as ambulances. Gardaí cordoned off the area.
The Health and Safety Authority is carrying out an investigation.
Last November, two employees were injured when the roof was blown off after an acetylene gas cylinder exploded. They had to be taken to the decontamination unit at Cork University Hospital for treatment.
There were concerns initially that the plant’s roof was made of asbestos and neighbours were warned to stay indoors as a precaution.
The plant only reopened a few weeks ago after the damage was repaired.
A local resident, who did not wish to be named, said people were a bit concerned that there had been another incident at the plant in such a relatively short time.
“It’s kind of frightening, to be honest, because there was a big investigation into what happened the last time. So after that you’d presume it would be safer.”
Shockwaves from the blast were felt at the nearby Marymount Hospice on Curraheen Rd. Marymount chief executive Kevin O’Dwyer said that while he was concerned about the latest incident, the €56m hospice had been built far away enough away from the factory to ensure it should not suffer any damage.
“But we do have emergency plans in place for full or partial evacuations if the need should arise,” he said.
The hospice opened last September, just two months before the first explosion.
There were 87 patients at the facility yesterday.
Irish Oxygen, a family-run firm which opened in 1949, produces oxygen and nitrogen by extraction from air and produces acetylene gas chemically.
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