Police were called to the Recycling Centre for Household Waste (RCHW) on Canvey Road, Essex, at 10.50am on Saturday (January 26) where the man was working as an operative at the May Gurney-run facility.
The Canvey Island man was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital fully conscious by a Hertfordshire Air Ambulance crew, Gary Sanderson, spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service, confirmed. His injuries were not thought to be life threatening and he is said to be in a serious but stable condition.
The incident occurred in the service area of the site which was not open to the public, causing the centre to close until Sunday when it reopened as normal, an Essex county council spokesman confirmed.
HSE inquiries
A spokeswoman for Essex Police said the incident has been passed on to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) but is not being treated as suspicious.
An HSE spokesman said it was aware of the incident and is making initial inquiries, but would not make any further comment at this stage.
A spokesman for Essex county council, which owns the facility, said: There was an incident in the service area of Canvey Island Recycling Centre for Household Waste on Saturday when a May Gurney site operative became trapped between a lorry and a recycling container. This happened in the service area of the site which is not open to the public. Emergency services were called to the scene immediately and the man was airlifted to hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
The spokesman added: Essex County Council is working closely with our recycling centre contractors May Gurney and the workers family to establish exactly what happened. Our thoughts and best wishes are with him at this difficult time. The centre was closed on Saturday from the moment the incident occurred. It reopened as normal on Sunday.
Investigation
Sarah Chapman, public services sector regional director at May Gurney, said: The incident at Canvey Island RCHW on Saturday is under full investigation and we are working closely with Essex County Council and the HSE. Our operative is in a stable condition and our thanks go out to the emergency services.
Norwich-based waste management firm May Gurney was awarded the contract to run the Canvey Island recycling centre by Essex county council in 2009 along with several other recycling centres in the county.
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