A recycling worker sifted through thousands of discarded batteries even as they exploded.

Footage shows the employee Gemar Cerna wearing thick gloves, a jacket, a hard hat, and a gas mask, quickly sorting e-waste on a conveyor belt at the facility.

Gemar was swift and focused despite the occasional sparks and small blasts caused by damaged lithium batteries in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.

The worker takes from the assortment of electronic trash that could still be used and tosses them into different baskets around him on March 15.

Gemar, a migrant worker from the Philippines, said: 'My work is hazardous, so I always need to be alert. I need to move very quickly while being aware of my surroundings.'

South Korea has one of the most advanced e-waste recycling systems, particularly in handling lithium-ion batteries, which pose environmental and safety risks if not disposed of properly.