Steel firm fined for failing to carry out a fire risk assessment
A steel firm has been fined for failing to carry out a suitable fire risk assessment on a gas pipe.
Tata Steel UK Ltd was ordered to pay over £30,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Dangerous Substances and Explosives Atmospheres Regulations 2002 Act at Scunthorpe Magistrates Court.
Two workers were fortunate not be seriously injured or killed after attempting to repair a leaking gas pipe which burst into flames.
Tata was found to have failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment before the work was carried out by the Health and Safety Executive ( HSE ), who claimed that they should have isolated the gas and purged the pipe with nitrogen beforehand.
HSE inspector John Moran claimed that the firm was "gambling with people's lives" by putting them in positions of extreme risk.
He told SHP online: "Even where serious injuries are avoided, the root cause of the near miss should be thoroughly investigated, understood, and appropriate action taken.
"By doing this industry can prevent unnecessary incidents where the outcome might not be so favourable for those involved."
Posted by Ryan Stevens
