Chemical incident at Sanofi’s facility leaves two in hospital
Sanofi has confirmed that two individuals were involved in an accident at its Waterford, Republic of Ireland-based site and needed to be taken to a nearby hospital to manage their injuries.
A spokesperson for Sanofi confirmed the event, stating: “A chemical incident occurred in a laboratory at the Sanofi Waterford site at approximately 11:20am (August 1).”
An ambulance took the two injured workers to the University Hospital Waterford to receive treatment, we were told.
It is not yet known what caused the accident and the spokesperson did not reveal how it occurred or what, if any, substances were involved.
In regards to discovering the cause, the spokesperson commented, “The Health & Safety Authority have been informed in line with established protocols and a thorough investigation will be conducted.”
Sanofi has had a presence in Waterford since 2001, where it produces oral dose formulations, lyophilisation products and medical devices for distribution within Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
The incident follows shortly after one of Sanofi’s facilities in France had to be temporarily shut down due to the amount of pollution it was producing. France Nature Environment, an environmental foundation, published a report a day prior to the plant shutdown revealing Sanofi had been releasing solvents into the atmosphere.
