Explosion lands steel company £1m fine
Sheffield Forgemasters has been fined £1m after a pipe explosion resulted in third degree burns for a contractor.
A 57 year-old contractor suffered “life-changing” injuries as a result of the explosion on 9 August 2013.
The in-house contractor was working to fit a valve to an oxygen pipe and whilst carrying out checks, head hissing from the valve in the pipe containing pure oxygen.
While investigating, the pipe erupted into flames and the worker suffered third degree burns. He was initially not expected to survive and was kept in a coma for several weeks undergoing several skin grafts.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the oxygen pipe had been fitted with contaminated second-hand flanges and butterfly valve, which contained materials unsuitable for use with oxygen.
It said no action had been taken with the pipelines that ran across the site, even though it was foreseeable that work would need to be done at some point on the lines.
The HSE said no action had been taken to implement training of levels of responsibility for the work.
Sheffield Forgemasters pleaded guilty to breaching the health and safety at work act and was fined £1m with £58,000 costs.
Graham Honeyman, chief executive at Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd, said: “We are deeply saddened that one of our employees was injured during a maintenance procedure in 2013.
“We have worked closely with the HSE during their investigations into the incident and accordingly, we have implemented detailed and robust safety procedures covering the maintenance of oxygen pipelines to prevent this from recurring, as the safety of all people on site is our utmost priority.”
HSE inspector Carol Downes said: “This incident could have been avoided if simple checks had been carried out.
“Duty holders should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standard.”
Sheffield Forgemasters have been contacted for comment.
