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Double Deaths in Cheshire Caused Due to Negligence of Company, Court Rules

August 18, 2009 on 4:58 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Warnings of the risks associated with working in confined spaces have come from the HSE after two workers dies of asphyxiation in a Herefordshire company on 14 June 2004.

On 24 April 2009, the Worcester Crown Court found Bodycote H.I.P. Ltd of Macclesfield, Cheshire guilty and fined the company a sum of £533,000 as well as £200,000 towards costs. The court found the company in violation of section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which led to the death of two of its workers in a manufacturing plant on College Road in Hereford.

The incident took place when argon gas started leaking from a large pressure vessel which was located in a concrete-lined pit. The bodies of the two workers, the company’s Works Manager and Maintenance engineer, were found on a staircase near the concrete pit. It was later found that the pit’s oxygen alarm system and the ventilation system were not working at the time of the accident. These systems were responsible of clearing out excess argon gas and monitoring the levels of oxygen depletion inside the pit respectively.

The company was aware of the possible risks associated with confined spaces and the likelihood of asphyxiation as a result of that, according to Luke Messenger, HSE Inspector. Messenger revealed that the company had been held responsible for a similar incident three years ago in California when two workers died at a Bodycote Group site and therefore they should have been more careful.

After the first incident three years ago, the company should have put some safety strategies in place to avoid more deaths, but it was unable to do so effectively. The company did have some systems installed, but its fault lay in its inability to educate workers in the proper safety procedures. It was thus unsuccessful in maintaining the safety of its workforce. A course in the management of health and safety (NEBOSH Training) could help to cut the risks that apply in the workplace.