A WIDNES chemical firm has been fined £80,000 after a hydrogen explosion blew a vessel lid through a factory roof and onto a car park.
CatAlloy Ltd, which has a plant on Moss Bank Road, was prosecuted by the Health And Safety Executive (HSE) following an incident on November 25, 2011.
The firm pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Health And Safety At Work etc Act 1974 for failing to ensure the safety of workers and was told to cough up an £80,000 fine.
It has also been told to pay another £80,000 in prosecution costs.
An HSE spokesman said that Warrington Crown Court heard on Thursday, September 24, that the company had made a modification to one of its reactors and that the explosion took place on the first day of production after the changes were made.
The spokesman added that the force of the explosion blew the lid and other equipment through the factory roof’s corrugated panels and into a neighbouring car park, while a worker suffered cuts to his hand and back.
An investigation found that the firm – which produces metal catalysts used by the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries – had fitted a new seal on the reactor to prevent air from entering.
The vessel lid which blew through the factory roof at Catalloy Ltd on Moss Bank Road in Widnes.
But the HSE said that CatAlloy had not properly considered the risks of the increased pressure inside the equipment during the production process.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Mhairi Duffy said: “CatAlloy deals with potentially dangerous substances every day and so it’s vital nothing is left to chance when it comes to the safety of its workers.
“The company should have carefully considered the risks of sealing the reactor but instead it continued with the production process and there was a major hydrogen explosion as a result.
“Luckily, only one worker suffered minor injuries in the blast but the consequences could easily have been fatal.”
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/