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Fuel tank decommissioning contractor prosecuted

A fuel tank decommissioning contractor in Hampshire has been prosecuted over safety failings which saw a worker severely burned while cutting up a disused tank.

The man in his 20s, who has asked to remain unnamed, incurred burns to his face and wrist on 13th March 2012 when sparks generated by his disc cutter ignited fuel vapour in the tank.

Laurence Greenland, trading as Fuel Pump and Tank Services, was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive concluded safety laws had been breached.

HSE Inspector James Powell said a number of “entirely preventable” failings had led to the incident.

“It was only a matter of good fortune that the worker was not killed and other workers and members of the public not seriously injured,” stated Mr Powell, after the hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The court was told that 54 year-old Mr Greenland had employed the worker to help remove a duo of 20,000 litre fuel tanks from the site of a redundant filling station in Iwerne Minster.

Prior to work commencing on the tank that exploded, it was emptied and degassed. A gas detector registered zero gas remaining in the tank’s atmosphere.

The worker, despite his concerns, started to dissect the tank into sections with a disc cutter purchased by Mr Greenland for specific usage on the task.

Upon cutting the petrol end of the tank an explosion occurred injuring the worker, with a number of adjacent properties and vehicles damaged by airborne debris.

HSE discovered a number of safety failings

The HSE’s investigation uncovered a number of safety failings:

• The safety assessment conducted prior to the commencement of work was inadequate and no safe system of work had been locked in place
• The gas detector deployed in monitoring the atmosphere had not been properly calibrated and, as such, may have produced false readings
• The tank had not been properly cleaned, with flammable residues still present
• Cold cutting techniques – even though it would not have completely removed the risk of explosion – should have been used rather than a disc cutter which generated heat and sparks

HSE Inspector Mr Powell said the incident underscored the need for employers to give “proper consideration to work hazards before they place their employees in situations where they might be put at significant risk”.

“Laurence Greenland failed to manage the risks of explosion and eliminate the risk of injury to workers and the public, and damage to property.

“People working with potentially explosive equipment should follow the safety procedures set out in industry guidance and all employees engaged in such work must be given adequate training in the risks involved and the precautions required.”

Mr Greenland pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 6(3)(a) of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations 2002.

The unnamed worker, who was left in intensive care for two days, has since made a full recovery.

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