Tata Steel UK has been fined for safety failings after
a worker received serious burns in a rush of hot gas at its plant in
Scunthorpe.
Contract labourer Gary Jeans, 29, from Winteringham, was
working with a colleague at the coke ovens in Dawes Lane on 10 October 2012. He
had climbed up to a walkway above the oven top and was trying to unstick a
valve needed for charging the oven by applying pressure with his foot onto the
valve counterbalance.
However, his colleague, who was out of sight below started
to charge the oven sending a rush of hot gas out of the top of the gas pipe
toward him.
Mr Jeans suffered serious burns to his face, left arm and
back and was unable to work several months. He has since recovered and is
back at work.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and
prosecuted Tata Steel UK at Scunthorpe Magistrates’ Court for a breach of the
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The court was told there had been a recognised issue of
valves sticking and other operating problems of the coke ovens due to their
age. A number of unapproved working practices had developed over time to get
round operating problems such as the task Mr Jeans was attempting.
HSE found that Tata Steel had let the unapproved working
practices go unchecked and had failed to recognise that they needed either
stamping out as poor practice or regularising if approved.
The investigation identified that there was insufficient
training and supervision for Mr Jeans and in just a few weeks, he had picked up
some of the poor practices that had become customary on site. In addition,
there was no safe system in place to ensure that the operator charging the oven
only did so when he knew where the other man was.
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