A man has been airlifted to hospital after being seriously injured at a major machinery production plant in the west of Ireland, according to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

A spokesperson for the HSA confirmed to AgriLand that a man suffered a “serious arm injury” as a result of a workplace accident at McHale’s facility in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.

The accident is understood to have taken place some time yesterday afternoon (Thursday, December 7).

The HSA has been notified of the accident; an investigation is believed to be underway and a HSA inspector reportedly visited the scene yesterday.

A statement from An Garda Siochana outlined that the man involved in the accident at the engineering plant was in his 50s and that he “received serious arm injuries when his arm was caught in a baler”.

He was airlifted to Galway University Hospital following the accident.

Clearer details of the accident have yet to emerge, but there are fears that the man’s arm may have been amputated as a result of the injuries he suffered. More updates are expected today.

Established by brothers Padraic and Martin McHale, the company is a family-run business. Over the last three decades, McHale has developed a range of specialist farm machinery – focusing on balers and bale wrappers for the production of round and square baled silage, as well as round bales of hay and straw.

Over 90% of McHale machines produced are destined for the export market; McHale balers and bale wrappers can be seen working in over 50 countries around the world, according to the company.