Safety Signs News

Company fined after man is injured in gas explosion

29th June 2010 | Health and Safety Signs

A man suffered serious injuries while working for an anti-corrosion solutions company when a road tanker exploded.

The Repair Protection and Maintenance (RPM) employee was caught in a blast which occurred when a spark from an attempt to relight a liquefied petroleum gas heater ignited flammable gases.

As a result of the incident, which took place on July 7th 2008, the man sustained a fractured skull and severe burns to his legs, arms and face, damaging his senses of smell and hearing.

A subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the heater was not working properly when the gas vapours ignited.

The company pleaded guilty to Regulation 4(2) of the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 and Regulation 3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and was fined £3,250 and ordered to pay £2,656.60 in costs.

"Even though the gas heater was not running, RPM's failure to carry out a risk assessment and pre-entry testing for toxic or flammable vapours in the tanker was unacceptable," said HSE inspector Jacqueline Ferguson.

"The employee has suffered terrible injuries, but it could have been much worse, he could have lost his life."

Meanwhile, gas fitter Chris Bradshaw was recently fined £38,000 after admitting to a range of health and safety breaches.

Posted by Nicole StevensADNFCR-2754-ID-19864366-ADNFCR

RESULTS: 4472 PRODUCTS

There are no results for this search

RESULTS: 4472 PRODUCTS

Related Articles


Add £25 for free Standard shipping

Customer Feedback:

Safety Signs products and graphics © 2009-2024 Viking Signs Ltd. eCommerce website © 2009-2024 Mew Media Ltd.