A scrap metal recycling company based in Sheffield has been fined for safety failings after a worker was killed when he was hit in the head by an exploding gas cylinder.
Sheffield Crown Court heard how a pressurised gas cylinder was put through a shearing machine, causing it to explode. A large section of the cylinder hit the worker in the head, causing fatal injuries.
An investigation by the HSE found a number of safety failures by Walter Heselwood Limited. They had no effective health and safety management system in place and failed to adequately assess the risks involved with processing different types of scrap material. The company also failed to put in place a range of measures to reduce the risks, for example by providing a blast wall.
Walter Heselwood Limited of Sheffield, pleaded guilty and was fined £120,000 with £40,000 costs.
After the hearing the HSE inspector commented that where waste processing of different materials is undertaken then there needs to be good, documented systems to ensure materials such as pressurised cylinders must be sorted and dealt with correctly. Workers also need to be properly trained and supervised.
We have worked with a range of waste recycling plants across the UK and through our DSEAR assessments we help those businesses to implement suitable controls to avoid these incidents occurring. For any recycling business it is vitally important that the risks are properly understood as only then can the right controls be designed in.
As the HSE identify, its vital that where safeguards are provided, they need to be well maintained, and an assessment should be carried out to determine any additional precautions that might be required. A thorough DSEAR assessment would have undoubtedly identified the importance of implementing physical controls such as a blast wall at this site.
