Fire crews are working alongside WorkSafe in Te Puke to establish if the Ravensdown site is safe to re-enter.

The visit follows an incident where a loader driver fainted after inhaling chemical fumes at the plant on Thursday morning.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand northern communication shift manager Scott Osmond says they are carrying out a routine safety check.

'We went there today at 9am to work with WorkSafe to check the scene is all safe.”

He says the visit is intentional.

Fire crews were called initially called to the scene at 8am on Thursday morning, following reports from residents about the smell coming from the plant which had been loading and bagging fertiliser.

The crew cleared the scene, returning to base and were called back at 10am when a loader driver collapsed.

The incident meant the driver had to be taken to hospital. He was reported as being in a serious condition at the time.

WorkSafe has been notified and is investigating.