The Rotherham plant of Sterecycle has been fined £500,000 after being found guilty of corporate manslaughter by Sheffield Crown Court.
An autoclave, a pressure chamber used to sterilize equipment, exploded, killing Michael Whinfrey. A colleague was left with "major injuries". The force of the explosion blew a hole in the side of the factory and sent debris across a main public road and a car park, where other workers and pedestrians were nearby.
HSE Inspector, Carol Downes, noted the safety failings of the autoclave itself. It had been opened several times under pressure despite it being unsafe to do so, and the locking mechanisms had been damaged with every opening. Hammer marks around the locks showed the extent to which the mechanisms had been broken, requiring substantial force to be locked.
At one point, the rubber seal around the door of the autoclave was replaced twice a day. Sterecycle knew of the issue, but opted to replace the seals rather than investigate the cause of the problem.
Questionnaires filled out by employees revealed several "feared for their lives" and one reported he felt so unsafe he wanted to "leave the building every time he heard a loud noise".
Sterecycle is now in administration following the accident which occurred in 2011.
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