Refinery fined for molten sulphur incident
AN incident at an oil refinery “could have been avoided” had hazards been identified which led to a worker needing skin grafts.
The firm in question, Total Lindsey Oil refinery in North Lincolnshire, was fined for the incident involving molten sulphur.
Tanker driver Jack Vickers was loading the dangerous substance from his vehicle and was detaching the lance from a loading arm when he slipped.
After pulling his leg out of the 140 degree molten sulphur, Mr Vickers needed extensive skin grafts.
The Health and Safety Executive told the court that there were no safety practices in place concerning the manway, and potential hazards had not been identified and dealt with.
Total Lindsey Oil Refinery, was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £2,641 in costs with a victim surcharge of £120.
HSE inspector Jayne Towey said: “Mr Vickers sustained extremely painful injuries, which still affect him now. Yet this incident could have been avoided if Total had identified the dangers associated with attaching and detaching the loading lance and then taken action to reduce those risks.
“Loading molten sulphur is a common task within the refining industry. Total had two other loading units on site with a different system whereby a loading lance does not have to be attached to the loading arm.”
