Man taken to hospital following explosion outside factory in Westport

A man was taken to hospital following a chemical explosion which occurred outside AbbVie in Westport this morning.

Emergency services attended the scene after the explosion occurred outside the factory after 8 am this morning. 

The injured man received treatment at the scene before being brought to hospital and his injuries are not believed to be serious. 

Employees from the factory were evacuated from the building as a precaution, but have since returned to work. 

In a statement, AbbVie said: “We are investigating an incident at our Westport site in an isolated waste disposal area during routine operations. Our on-site emergency response team immediately responded and contained the situation in partnership with local emergency services. All on-site personnel are safe and accounted for. An employee of a third-party service contractor was transported to the hospital as a precaution with non-life threatening injuries.”