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MANSFIELD - An employee at a medical manufacturing factory was airlifted to a Boston hospital Wednesday night after the forklift the worker was operating tipped, spilling hazardous materials.

An unidentified employee at the Medline warehouse at 560 West St., within the Cabot Business Park, was operating a forklift around 5 p.m. when the apparatus tipped over, causing the employee to suffer significant rib, hip and leg injuries, according to Mansfield Fire Chief Neal Boldrighini.

The employee was taken by ambulance to Lagasse Sweet, another business about half a mile away at 33 Suffolk St., where the person was then airlifted to Boston Medical Center for treatment.

Boldrighini would not disclose any details about the employee and a condition was not available Wednesday night.

When the forklift tipped, it spilled hydraulic fluid and sulfuric battery acid in the area, causing emergency personnel to call in the state's hazardous material team, Boldrighini said. Boldrighini said the employee did come in contact with the chemicals, but the majority of the person's injuries resulted from the forklift tipping.

Fire crews remained on the scene for several hours.

David Ladd, director of the state's hazardous material team, said emergency crews first worked to identify the materials before chemically neutralizing them so they could be removed.

Emergency personnel halted the company's business while they worked to contain and clean up the spill.

Mansfield fire crews were assisted at the scene by Foxboro firefighters. Plainville teams covered the Mansfield stations during the incident.

The accident occurred in the warehouse portion of the new $16 million Medline building that was constructed this year.

The company manufactures medical supplies for hospitals, nursing homes and other health agencies.

Town meeting voters last year approved a 13-year tax increment-financing agreement to entice the company to construct the building.

MATT KAKLEY covers Mansfield for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0333 or mkakley@thesunchronicle.com.