Prosecutions
A subsidiary of a global chemical company has been fined £20,000 after a welder suffered serious burns in a dust explosion at one of its plants in Cumbria.
The worker was carrying out welding work on a large container. The container housed 380 tonnes of the explosive powder, Terephthalic acid.
The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the cause of the explosion. Workington Magistrates' Court heard that, on 29 October 2008, the worker was welding a metal component around a two and a half inch diameter hole that had been sealed with a temporary bung, when he was suddenly engulfed by a fireball.
The worker had been welding for around 20 seconds before finding himself surrounded by flames that forced him down to his hands and knees. He and another worker jumped ten feet to the ground to escape the flames but the employee was left with severe burns to his head, face, arms and hands.
The HSE investigation concluded the bung had fallen out, allowing around 15 grams of the explosive powder to escape, which was then ignited by the welding flame, creating the fireball.
The grandfather spent three days in intensive care with breathing difficulties, caused by swelling and blistering to his tongue and throat. He is still being treated for the scarring to his face more than two years after the incident.
The worker commented on the incident:
"I think my family were quite shocked when they first saw me but I'm just thankful it wasn't a lot worse, and no one else was injured.
"I had to take a year off work to recover, and I still have injections in my forehead and face to try to reduce the scarring. I'll probably be scarred for the rest of my life though.
"I was told that it would be safe to carry out welding work on the vessel but it wasn't. You trust people to get it right and check things out for you but you can't take anything for granted. I just hope this case helps prevent the same thing happening to someone else."
An investigating inspector from the HSE, said:
"This was an entirely preventable incident which caused serious burns to a man's hands and face, and has left him with significant scarring.
"The company should have planned the work properly in advance. Either the welding should have been carried out before the hole was drilled into the vessel, or the explosive powder in that part of the vessel should have been removed before the welding started.
"It is extremely important that chemical companies treat health and safety as their top priority, to avoid terrible injuries like this occurring again in the future."
The firm pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by putting people not in their employment at risk. The company was ordered to pay costs of £14,941 in addition to the fine on 11 November.