FATAL FACTORY BLAST 'AVOIDABLE'

[brothermagrew]

The explosion at ICL Stockline in Glasgow was an 'avoidable disaster', according to a public inquiry into the tragedy. Nine people died and 33 were injured when the plastic factory collapsed on 11 May 2004. Lord Gill's report criticised the two companies, ICL Plastics and ICL Tech, for lacking knowledge and understanding of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) gas, which exploded after seeping from a corroded pipe, reducing the factory to rubble. Scotland's second most senior judge also found that 'serious weaknesses' in Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection procedures contributed to the 'a disaster that could have been avoided'. His inquiry found HSE had failed to understand the dangers at the plant and did not carry out prompt follow-up visits, despite an HSE inspector drawing attention to the LPG pipe in 1988, 16 years before the explosion. Subsequent inspections never mentioned LPG and its dangers. The Gill inquiry, set up in January 2008 at a cost of about £1 million to the public purse, was told the rotting pipework could have been replaced for £405. With no intervention by the safety watchdog, the inquiry found the plant's underground LPG pipe was viewed as 'out of sight, out of mind' by the owner. Secretary of state for Scotland Jim Murphy said the findings were 'damning', adding: 'What is clear is that this disaster was entirely avoidable.' He said: 'There's very strong criticism of the HSE, that they missed some of the tell-tale signs, the inspections they did weren't up to scratch, and they missed some signs that possibly could have meant that this disaster was avoided.' He added: 'There are real concerns; there are systematic failures identified by Lord Gill. That's why we've said to the HSE they've got to account for their actions.' Lord Gill made a series of recommendations which 'seek to establish a modern liquid petroleum gas safety regime to minimise the risk that such an event will recur.'

Lord Gill's full report on the ICL/Stockline Disaster - Crown Copyright

http://www.theiclinquiry.org/Documents/ ... Report.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HSE Response & Apology http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2009/e09057.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;