B & W Waste Management Services Ltd has been fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,603.14 after pleading guilty to breaching the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations SI 2002/2776.
The fine, issued following a prosecution at Luton Magistrates' Court, was given following an incident in July 2016, where two employees were processing flammable aerosol canisters using an industrial plastic shredder.
When using a gas operated forklift truck to lift the highly pressurised canisters into the shredder, a spark from the forklift ignited a cloud of gas created by the shredded aerosol canisters. This unfortunately led to an explosion leaving the two workers with burns; one of which suffered third degree burns resulting in them being placed on life support whilst in an induced coma. That worker also has considerable permanent scarring and a lifelong dependency on medication for nerve pain.
The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) investigation found that the work was not suitably planned, it was not supervised by a competent person and it was not carried out in a safe manner.
HSE inspector Andrew McGill said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working. If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life changing injuries suffered by one employee, could have been prevented.”
