An Avoidable Disaster

Many of us in the health and safety profession will remember the tragic events of 11 May 2004 - namely the explosion of the ICL factory at Grovepark Mills, Glasgow. This explosion claimed the lives of nine people, and seriously injured 33 others. It was a completely avoidable tragedy. Factory operators ICL Plastics and ICL Tech were fined £400,000 by the courts after admitting health and safety offences last year.

The explosion was caused by the ignition of an explosive atmosphere that had formed in the basement of the building. A quantity of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) had leaked from a crack in a corroded and unprotected underground pipeline that had been laid 35 years earlier. The LPG then migrated into the building.

The inquiry was told that the damaged pipe work would have cost about £400 to replace.

The public inquiry has now published its final report and the inquiry chair Lord Gill has said there could be no doubt as to the cause of the blast. He said the pipe carrying liquid petroleum gas into the factory was "out of sight and out of mind".

The Health and Safety Executive has also come under some criticism. The families of those affected released a statement to the inquiry stating: "The time has come for the HSE to accept that soft-touch regulation does not work and that workers throughout the UK, whether they work with LPG or not, should have confidence that health and safety regulators have employers quaking in their boots."

The report has identified serious weaknesses not just in the factory but also in health and safety legislation and a lack of effective communication between government agencies, suppliers and users of the gas.

Lord Gill himself has levelled some criticism at the HSE: "Nearly five years after the explosion HSE has not produced a coherent action plan to deal with underground metallic pipework and the risk of a recurrence."

So are there lessons for business? The answer is yes, many. The final report details a number of recommendations in managing LPG installations across the UK. These are now being considered by Government.

But regardless of whether a business has LPG installations or not there are some basic lessons - the necessity for accurate and relevant health and safety risk assessments and access to competent professional advice. The message is clear; all significant hazards need proper assessment and control.

Mathew Joyes is Head of Risk Management at Associated Training and Consultancy, a leading provider of health, safety and environmental solutions.

All of the entries in this blog provide general advice and should not be interpreted or used as specific health and safety guidance to your organisation – you must always consider your own circumstances and take appropriate action. If in doubt, contact us for professional and specific advice.