A distillery in Oldbury has been fined after an employee was
engulfed in flames in a fire that destroyed the warehouse and its contents.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how ethyl acetate (highly
flammable liquid) was being transferred from a bulk storage tank into an
intermediate bulk container when an employee was engulfed in flames. The
21-year-old sustained twenty percent burns to his head, neck and hands.
The fire, at the Alcohol Limited distillery on Crosswell road in
Oldbury, destroyed the warehouse and caused damage to nearby cars and houses.
West Mercia Fire and Rescue Service were called to bring the fire under
control.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into
the incident which occurred on 26 November 2012 found that the most likely
source of ignition was a discharge of static electricity generated by the
transfer of the liquid.
There was poor maintenance of pipework and associated valves.
There was a failure to competently inspect the equipment or monitor the systems
of work.
Alcohols Limited, of Charringtons House, The Causeway, Bishop’s
Stortford, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of
the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and was fined £270,000 and ordered
to pay costs of £25,009.
After the hearing HSE inspector Kieron Jones said: “Companies
that fail to ensure the integrity of their safety critical equipment place
their employees, members of the public, emergency services and their entire
livelihood at risk of serious harm.
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