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Gas Detection

Chemical firm fined after falls from height, gas leak and chemical burns

A chemical firm was fined more than £100,000 after falls from height, a gas leak and chemical burns were suffered at its site.

Frontline 100 Fixed Gas System

Frontline 100
Fixed Gas System

 

Firms who fail to use the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) or air monitoring apparatus often find themselves in trouble with authorities.

 

While most of those companies are found guilty of complaints relating to a particular type of failing, a Cheshire factory was recently fined more than £100,000 for a number of different kinds of incidents.

 

Tata Chemicals Europe's site in Northwich was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after it was revealed that workers were hurt in three separate events.

 

One employee may wish he had been using PPE to protect his feet after he suffered severe burns to his right foot which required 18 months of treatment.

 

Another worker suffered an injury after a metal grating platform he was walking on five floors up gave way.

 

Gas detection equipment is essential at chemical factories and the third incident saw high levels of carbon monoxide being released into the plant - potentially endangering the lives of everyone at the site.

ALTAIR - CO 30/60 ppm from MSA

ALTAIR - CO 30/60 ppm
from MSA

Instruments or devices such as the Frontline 100 and the ALTAIR CO gas detector from MSA could have detected the carbon monoxide leakage and notified those at the site.

These gas detection monitors can be purchased at the Frontline Safety website along with other gas types.

Using the correct gas detection equipment could prevent the above mentioned failings and could potentially prevent serious risk occuring.

The firm pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Health and Safety at Work ect Act 1974 and two breaches of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.

 

It was fined a total of £100,750 and ordered to pay £71,082 in prosecution costs.

 

HSE inspector Gill Chambers explained that such a large company should never have allowed such serious incidents to occur.

 

"The general conditions we found at the plant were extremely poor. Some of the gantries were in desperate need of repair after becoming badly corroded and the practical training for staff was also inadequate, meaning they did not take appropriate measures in emergency situations," she said.

 

"The chemical industry has the potential to be extremely dangerous so it’s vital that firms like Tata Chemicals make health and safety their top priority. Unfortunately, the company fell way below acceptable standards on multiple occasions."

 

Meanwhile, the HSE recently conducted an inspection initiative at Welsh construction sites and found that almost one in three failed to meet minimum safety standards.

Written by Chris Malone

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