The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a pet food company, after three of its workers were injured in an explosion at the factory in Penrith, Cumbria.

In August 2007, the three men were employed by Alba Proteins (Penrith) Ltd at its Wildriggs plant in Penrith. They were trying to clear a blockage in an industrial cooker when large volumes of steam and offal exploded through the inspection hatches.

One employee jumped over the handrail on the platform, hitting his head on the concrete, fracturing his left wrist and suffering burns to his left elbow. Another worker ran down the steps and suffered burns to his left arm, left ear and the back of his neck. A cleaner who had been asked to help clear the blockage did not move from his position by the cooker and his head, face and chest were badly burned.

On Wednesday, 11 November at North Cumbria Magistrates’ Court, Alba Proteins (Penrith) Ltd, of Swales Moor Farm, Swales Moor Road in Halifax pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. The company was fined the maximum fine of £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,271.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Steven Smith – head of operations for the HSE in the North West – said that the three men had been injured because Alba Proteins did not have in place procedures for dealing with blockages in the machinery, despite similar incidences having taken place at the factory in the past.

‘The offal cooker regularly reached temperatures up to 120 degrees Celsius and could become extremely dangerous if it was not handled properly,’ said Mr Smith.

‘But workers used trial and error to clear blockages and – in this instance – decided to use both water and oil. This caused the contents to explode as the water turned to steam.

‘Alba Proteins should have carried out a formal risk assessment so that it was able to offer employees guidance on how to deal with blockages safely. Instead, no training was provided and workers were put in danger as a result.’

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