A Hampshire contractor, who specialises in decommissioning fuel tanks, has been prosecuted for safety failings after a worker was burned while cutting up a disused tank.

The man in his 20s and from Ringwood, suffered burns to his face and wrist when sparks from the disc cutter he was using ignited fuel vapour in the tank. The worker was in intensive care for two days but has since made a full recovery.

The incident on 13 March 2012 was investigated by the HSE which prosecuted Ringwood-based contractor Laurence Greenland, trading as Fuel Pump and Tank Services.

The court heard how Mr Greenwood had employed the worker to help remove two 20,000 litre fuel tanks from the site of a former filling station in Iwerne Minster near Blandford Forum.

Before removing the tank that exploded, fuel was emptied and the tank de-gassed so it appeared there was no flammable material or vapour left.  The tank atmosphere was monitored using a gas detector until a zero gas reading was given.

Despite his concerns, the worker used a disc cutter, brought by Mr Greenland for this specific task, to cut the tank into sections so it could be removed more easily from the site.  However, shortly after he started to cut the petrol end of the tank, an explosion occurred.

As well as injuring the worker, a number of nearby properties and vehicles were damaged by flying debris. HSE discovered a number of safety failings:

• The safety assessment carried out before the work started was inadequate and there was no safe system of work in place
• The gas detector used to monitor the atmosphere had not been suitably calibrated and may have given false readings
• The tank had not been properly cleaned and flammable residues remained
• Although it would not have completely eliminated the risk of explosion, cold cutting techniques should have been used rather than a disc cutter, which generated heat and sparks, thus igniting the vapour when the tank was pierced.

Laurence Greenland pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 6(3)(a) of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations 2002. He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.

The HSE inspector on the case commented that a number of failings led to this incident, which was entirely preventable.  It was only a matter of good fortune that the worker was not killed and other workers and members of the public not seriously injured.

Clearly Mr Greenwood had failed to properly consider the risks in this case and should have been aware of the DSEAR ACOPs before determining how this work could be safely carried out.

It identified the problems of assuming that a vessel, tank or container that had previously been used to store flammable materials was properly purged.  It is always prudent to consider that some vapours may remain inside such a vessel and therefore apply suitable precautions to control the risks.

As the HSE have suggested, this case emphasises the need for employers to give proper consideration to work hazards before they place their employees in situations where they might be put at significant risk. Laurence Greenland failed to manage the risks of explosion and eliminate the risk of injury to workers and the public, and damage to property.

Where persons or a business do not fully understand the risks then they should seek expert assistance and at the very least should follow the safety procedures set out in industry guidance.

It is also essential that before any employee is engaged in such work they must be given adequate training in the risks involved and the precautions required.