Injured by battery

Heat stroke on the Inurba Mobility site, in the 14th^e district of Marseille, this Thursday. An employee of the Spanish company, a service provider for the Aix-Marseille Provence Metropolis and responsible for operating the 2,000 electrically assisted bicycles of the Levélo service, was injured at his workplace. It was the explosion of a lithium-ion battery, used to recharge the said bikes, which caused the incident. Explosion which occurred while handling the bicycle upon its return to the site. “ He was immediately protected by his colleagues. The firefighters arrived very quickly and took care of him. They considered it useful to take him to the hospital for observation “, relates Éric Mortier, director of Inurba's activities in France. He mentions “ major burns but no serious injuries » for the employee. Another employee of the site, on condition of anonymity, explains that the workers “ were all afraid » and in particular a spread of fire.

« This is an isolated incident. Safety processes are planned by battery producers. We surround ourselves with all precautions but we are never safe from accidents. We have specific chargers, specific trucks, we load in stations designed and approved for that. All stations are verified by an independent body… », reassures Éric Mortier. He also claims that an investigation has been launched to determine the exact causes of the explosion.