Chemical firm fined over worker’s blast fall
A CHEMICAL services company has been fined £10,000 after one of its employee was injured in an accident at a site in Widnes.
Runcorn Magistrates Court heard the un-named man could have been killed after falling from the top of a chemical storage tank after it exploded.
The 44-year-old from Bala, North Wales, had been carrying out maintenance work on the tank at a plant in Widnes when the chemical vapour inside set alight, causing an explosion.
He fell around 8ft (2.5 metres), landing on a metal girder below.
His employer, Hutchinson Technical Services (HTS) Ltd, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the incident at its Ditton Road site in May 2010.
Runcorn Magistrates’ Court was told the worker was knocked unconscious when he fell to the ground, and suffered burns on his right arm and right leg, as well as bruising to his ribs. He was kept in hospital overnight and was off work for several weeks as a result of his injuries.
The court heard the employee had been allowed to work on top of the tank without any measures in place to prevent him being injured in a fall.
The company arranged for a cage to be fitted to the top of tanks within two days of receiving a Prohibition Notice from the HSE and has since introduced the use of other safety equipment such as harnesses.
HTS pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to ensure suitable measures were in place to prevent workers being injured in a fall.
The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,588 in prosecution costs.
Lisa Lewis of HSE commented: “The employee’s injuries could have been much worse, and he could have been killed if he’d struck his head when he landed on the girder.
“HTS was able to introduce the use of new equipment within just a few days of the incident happening, that has significantly reduced the chance of workers being injured in a fall.
“This case should act as a warning to other companies whose employees regularly carry out work at height. Taking simple steps could prevent workers being injured.”
