Factory worker critically injured in Germiston furnace blast

A factory worker was critically injured when a furnace exploded at a factory in Germiston in the early hours of this morning.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain and will form the subject of a National Department of Labour investigation.

Common cause information indicates that the man had been working near the furnace when there was a small explosion, purportedly caused by a an item or substance that was placed in the furnace.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the man had sustained serious burn wounds to his face, chest and arms. Small shards of metal from the explosion also struck the man in the face. Medics treated and stabilised the man at the scene and transported him by ambulance to the Netcare Union Hospital.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare LimitedNetcare 911