"Appalling State" of Welding Equipment Resulted in Explosion

A motor engineer working beneath a vehicle suffered serious burns after a cracked hose caught fire.

The accident happened on 16th July 2008 at A1 Rewinds Ltd. in Aston, Birmingham when Mr Harjit Singh Matharu, an electrical fitter at the company was trying to remove a car exhaust. He was using an oxy-acetylene welding gun, that had not been properly maintained.

The hose, which transported the acetylene to the gun, had numerous cracks and the gas leaked out into an air pocket underneath the vehicle. When the gun's flame came into contact with the leaking gas, it caught fire and subsequently exploded, which sparked a fire underneath the car.
Mr Matharu escaped from underneath the vehicle and extinguished the flames, but still received serious burns. After being rushed to hospital for treatment, Mr Singh Matharu was off work for several months following his serious injuries.

Pam Folsom, the HSE inspector investigating the incident, said that it was "immediately obvious" that the hose had not been properly maintained since its first use 28 years previous. The equipment was condemned after it had been taken away for inspection.

A1 Rewinds Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 5(1) of the Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 24th April 2009. They were fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 towards the HSE's costs.

The company who have no previous convictions for safety offences expressed its remorse for the incident.

Inspector Folsom said: "The hoses were in an absolutely appalling state, totally perished, and had been shortened each time that a bend split the hose, allowing highly flammable gas to escape. The consequences of a gas cloud igniting beneath a vehicle, while a man is in the middle of that explosive mixture, are likely to be horrific.

"It is important for companies to ensure that they have fully considered all the risks their employees may face when using any equipment. The hoses were so obviously badly perished that there is no excuse for this incident."

Fatal Glasgow Factory Blast "Avoidable"

An inquiry into an explosion at a plastics factory in Glasgow, which killed 9 people, concluded it to be "an avoidable tragedy".

The incident which occurred in May 2004 at ICL Plastics Ltd and its associate company ICL Tech Ltd also injured about 40 workers after the explosion flattened the factory in the Maryhill area of the city.

The inquiry found that the blast was undoubtedly caused by a leak from an old underground metallic pipe, which was carrying liquefied petroleum gas.

The pipe was corroded due to being buried without proper protection and the report found that the management of the two companies had shown a lack of understanding concerning LPG and the risk of explosion.

The report also mentioned that there were deficiencies in the HSE's oversight of the site with a failure to understand the risk of underground pipes and to promptly carry out the follow up visits.

Lord Gill, the inquiry chairman wrote: "This was an avoidable tragedy... Nearly five years after the explosion HSE has not produced a coherent action plan to deal with underground metallic pipework and the risk of a recurrence.

While the probability of another explosion may be low, the consequences of a similar event, should it occur, may be catastrophic. A sense of urgency would be an appropriate response to the serious issue of public confidence that this disaster has raised."

In 2007, ICL Plastics and ICL Tech pleaded guilty to four health and safety breaches and were fined £200,000 at the Glasgow High Court and were both fined £200,000.

The firms commented: "The ICL companies wish to express profound sadness and apologise for their omissions and the shortcomings of those who were responsible for the health and safety of the employees".

They continued: "The inquiry's analysis of the essential facts and crucial expert knowledge provides much needed answers and recommendations which will have an important bearing on the future."

Jim Murphy, Scottish Secretary said that the government will be providing a full response to the report in January: "What is clear from the report published today is that this disaster could and should have been avoided," he said. "It lays out a litany of failings and it is imperative that we take on board Lord Gill's recommendations for a better and more effective safety regime surrounding LPG installations to ensure an unnecessary and preventable fatal incident such as this never happens again."