Pressure vessel safety – kills one and seriously injures three others

Pressure vessel safety – pressure vessel kills one and seriously injures three others.  The incident happened at a horticulture company who were attempting to upgrade a pressurised tank used to heat their greenhouses. Three people were seriously injured and one died of his head injuries six days later. The court was told that two workers had been instructed to unbolt a hatch cover from the pressure vessel, unaware that there was still pressure in the system. This caused a fatal release of pressure sending the hatch flying across the room followed by a large jet of water sweeping everyone off their feet.
As a result one of the workers was unconscious for two weeks and remained in hospital for months after as a result of his head and skull injuries and damage to his forearm requiring many operations and skin grafts.
Another of the men suffered serious head trauma, a broken jaw as well as serious cuts and bruising to his face.
The third man suffered a broken arm. The investigation found that the work had not been properly planned and that the men were not properly trained or supervised. It was also found that at least one of the men spoke very little English which would have made it very difficult to understand instructions.

If the process had been given correct forethought and planning then this tragic incident could have been avoided. Simple sensible and appropriate steps such as ensuring that the system had been de-pressurised before work commenced, ensuring all energy sources isolated and ensuring trained competent people who were adequately supervised. Had these steps been followed then tragedy could have been avoided.

The company pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work act 1974, sec 2(1) and 3(1). They were fined £80,000 and made to pay costs of £59,812