A worker slipped and fell into a nitrogen storage tank at a chemical manufacturing plant in Benoni on the East Rand this week.
Co-workers who witnessed the man fall pulled him to safety, said Netcare 911, who treated him for burns.
The accident happened just after noon on Tuesday.
“When paramedics arrived on the scene, they found the patient, a 27-year-old male, in a critical condition with 40% chemical burns from the waist down.
“Advanced life support intervention was immediately initiated by emergency care practitioners in an attempt to stabilise him,” Netcare 911 said.
Due to the time-sensitive nature of the man’s injuries, it said its helicopter air ambulance was activated to airlift him to a specialist medical facility for further treatment.
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