The United Kingdoms Health and Safety Executive fined a waste oil storage company 125,000 ($207,000) over a 2007 explosion and fire, and prosecuted the companys then director for the incident.
The agency charged Eco-Oil Ltd. of Canterbury, Kent, and Ian Malcolm Cross from Milbourne, Wickhambreaux, each with breaching two sections of the Health and Safety at Work Act. According to HSEs Oct. 30 announcement, both pleaded guilty. In addition to the fine, Eco-Oil was ordered to pay costs of 20,000. The court fined Cross 5,000 and ordered him to pay costs of 500.
HSE investigated the March 30, 2007 incident at Eco-Oils site in Kingsnorth Industrial Estate, Rochester. The waste oil storage and processing facility held many large tanks. On that day, major changes were being made to the plant. A contract worker was welding the roof of one tank as part of the changes, the HSE said, when an explosion occurred, followed by a large fire.
According to the agency, the tank that exploded contained about 300,000 liters of mixed lube oil and fuel. Fire service workers were able to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent tanks, and the contract worker sustained only minor injuries to his leg.
The incident occurred because the site operator lost control of what its contractor was doing, HSE Inspector David Gregory said. The message is clear – make sure your controls are commensurate with the actual risk. In this case, they were wholly inadequate and the incident was an inevitable consequence.
The agency said it is now urging employers storing hazardous substances in bulk tanks to fully assess the risks and implement necessary controls to ensure staff and contract workers are safe.
HSE is a national regulatory body responsible for promoting the cause of better health and safety at work in the U.K.