A chemical firm has been fined £120,000 after an employee sustained severe burns when he was engulfed by a fireball at a factory in Wirral.
The 45 year old from Kirby was kept in an induced coma for seven weeks following the explosion at SAFC Hitech Ltd's plant in Bromborough, on 28 February last year. The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the incident, which left the employee with burns to his face, right arm and upper body.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the company had been manufacturing a chemical called trimethylindium (TMI), which is used during the production of LEDs and in the semi-conductor industry. Waste from the purification process had been left on a bench to deactivate in an unsealed glass bottle, despite being explosive if it is exposed to air or water.
Shortly after starting his shift, the worker entered the waste deactivation area and the waste in the glass bottle exploded, sending shards of glass across the yard. He does not remember the incident, but colleagues reported seeing him running around in a ball of flames. He was taken to a specialist burns unit and induced into a coma. He was kept in hospital for almost three months, and still has extensive scars and difficulty moving.
SAFC Hitech Ltd pleaded guilty to single breaches of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations SI 2002/2776 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, with regard to failing to:
