A pharmaceutical company has been fined £100,000 after a worker was left fighting for his life as a result of being sprayed with seven litres of bromine, a substance that is classified as potentially fatal if inhaled and can cause severe skin burns.
The serious safety breach occurred at Aesica Pharmaceuticals Limited’s site in Cramlington, Northumberland, when the worker removed cables from a valve connected to pipework at one end of a disused bromine tank. The tank had failed an insurance inspection five years earlier and had not yet been replaced. The pipework, which was suspended from a set of flexible bellows that was not designed to be weight-bearing, was still connected to the pipes used to fill the adjacent tank, which resulted in it being contaminated. When the worker removed the cables, the bellows failed, releasing the bromine over him.
The worker spent 48 hours in a life-threatening condition after inhaling the corrosive substance and also suffered severe skin burns and damage to one of his eyes. He was in hospital for four weeks and is still receiving treatment for his injuries. He has not yet been able to return to work.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection found that the bolts on the bellows were badly corroded, thus increasing the likelihood that they would rupture under any stress. It also identified that a further section of piping, which could also have become contaminated with bromine, was inadequately supported.
Aesica Pharmaceuticals pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £7,803 in costs.
After the case, HSE Inspector Graham Watson said, “This was a serious incident with potentially fatal consequences which was readily preventable.
“All employers and particularly those handling dangerous chemicals must not assume a lack of previous incidents means risks are adequately controlled. Measures must be in place to ensure, through robust audit and review, that this is due to effective management and not just good fortune.
“Maintaining the mechanical integrity of process plant and pipework is essential to preventing the loss of hazardous chemicals. Any change to plant must be carefully assessed to ensure it does not increase the risk of failure. Measures must be in place through an on-going programme of maintenance and inspection to ensure the continued integrity of the plant according to risk.”
Contact Mike Sutton for advice on any work related injuries on 0121 746 3300, email pi@sydneymitchell.co.uk or fill in our online enquiry form.
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