A packaging firm has been fined £90,000 after two workers became engulfed in a fireball at their Cumbrian-based factory. Gordon Metcalf, 62, and another worker were about to clean debris from a damaged fuse box when a ball of fire shot out, setting their clothes alight.
Innovia Films Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the cause of the fire at the plant in 2006. Carlisle Crown Court heard that doctors thought Mr Metcalf was unlikely to survive due to the extent of his injuries. He is still undergoing treatment for his burns, nearly five years on, and will never be able to return to work. His colleague's injuries were less severe and he has now been able to find employment.
The HSE investigation found that there had been a fire in the fuse box during the previous afternoon but live cables had been routed through it so the cooling equipment at the factory could continue to operate. This meant the company, which has production sites in the UK, USA, Belgium and Australia, avoided having to shut down the plant for 36 hours to reset the machines.
When electrician Gordon Metcalf and his colleague, an apprentice electrician, came into work the following morning they were asked to remove the debris from the fuse box and plate over the front to prevent access. The court was told that a suitable risk assessment had not been carried out for the work, and that management at the company had allowed it to go ahead without the electricity supply being isolated.
Mr Metcalf suffered burns to 47 per cent of his body. He spent four weeks in a coma, was in intensive care for six weeks and in hospital for five months. He said, "I remember the fireball just knocking me backwards, and I split my head open. I managed to get downstairs to some water, and only realised I was on fire when I saw my arm on the handrail. When I came out of hospital, I had to wear a suit over my head and body for a year and could only take it off to wash. I still have to apply cream three times a day to stop the scarring getting any worse."
Mark Dawson, HSE Principal Inspector for Cumbria, said, "It was an astonishing decision to allow work to go ahead without the live electricity supply being switched off, and even went against the company's own work procedures. If the factory had been shut down for just a day and a half then neither of the workers would have suffered severe burns."
Innovia Films Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by putting workers' lives at risk. The company was ordered to pay £26,790 towards the cost of the prosecution in addition to the fine of £90,000.
