The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning to companies storing hazardous materials, after a massive explosion at a company in Kent.

Eco-Oil Ltd of Canterbury store waste oil at their depot at the Kingsnorth Industrial Estate in Rochester. In March 2007, major changes were being made to the plant, where large oil tanks were kept. As part of the changes, contract worker Michael White was welding the roof of one tank, which contained 300,000 litres of mixed lube oil and fuel.

The tank exploded and caused a major fire, which fire crews from Kent, Essex, Sussex and London managed to contain using 41 fire appliances.

On Friday (30/10/09) at Maidstone Crown Court, Eco-Oil Ltd of Canterbury, Kent – and the company’s director Ian Malcolm Cross from Millbourne in Wickhambreaux – pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £125,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 costs. Mr Cross was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £500.

The subcontractor welding the tank escaped with minor injuries to his leg, but Judge David Griffith-Jones QC told the court the fire had been a ‘substantial conflagration’ and that Mr White had been ‘very lucky’ to have escaped with his life.

‘Everyone on that site within the environment close to that tank had their lives placed at risk,’ he said.

After the hearing, HSE inspector David Gregory said the accident had occurred because the company had ‘lost sight of what its contractor was doing’.

‘It was miraculous that the person on the tank at the time it exploded was not killed,’ said Mr Gregory. ‘The message is clear – make sure your controls are commensurate with the actual risk. In this case they were wholly inadequate and the incident was an inevitable consequence.’   

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