Workers' injuries lead to fines for two Derbyshire companies

Date:

4 April 2012

Release No:

HSE/EM/003/12

Two companies have been fined following separate incidents at a Derbyshire lead smelting works.

Both incidents happened at HJ Enthoven Ltd in South Darley, near Matlock. The first happened on 19 August 2009 when an employee suffered severe burns following an explosion at the site.

The fork lift truck the worker was using to transport molten lead slag

The 43-year-old worker, who has asked not to be named, was transporting molten lead slag, with an estimated temperature of more than 800 degrees Celsius, on a fork lift truck. The pan holding the molten material fell off the truck, spilling the liquid on to the ground where it ran into a drain.

During the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, North East Derbyshire and Dales Magistrates' Court heard that as soon as the molten liquid came into contact with water it exploded, sending a number of heavy drain covers several metres into the air. The man jumped from the forklift to try and escape but fell onto the molten slag.

He suffered severe burns to his face, arms, chest, back and left foot which needed months of treatment though he has since returned to work at the company.

The second incident happened on 7 May 2010 when an employee of Key Engineering (Chesterfield) Ltd was investigating a fault on an overhead travelling crane. The 27-year-old worker, who has also asked not to be named, was on the crane gantry while testing it.

The crane gantry where the second worker was injured

As the crane ran along the tracks, he rested his right arm on top of the control panel. As it neared the end of the bay the clearance between the control panel and a roof beam narrowed to a few millimetres, trapping his arm.

The man suffered severe crush injuries, had to have four plates in his right arm along with a number of skin grafts and he suffered tendon damage. It is not known if he will regain full use of his arm.

A subsequent HSE investigation found neither company had carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and HJ Enthoven had failed to inform Key Engineering about the narrow gap.

The court heard that HJ Enthoven had previously added an extra supporting bar to the rotary attachment on fork lift truck to reduce the chances of the forks moving but had removed it a few days before the incident.

After today's hearing, HSE inspector Edward Walker said:

"Water and molten metal explosions are a well known hazard in the smelting industry. While the company had considered the possibility of small spillages it had not thought about what would happen in the event of a large scale spill. Measures should have been in place to prevent the molten metal from entering the drain. As a result a man suffered serious injuries."

Commenting on the incident involving the crane Mr Walker added:

"HSE guidance states that riding on a crane gantry should be closely controlled and only permitted if there is no other reasonably practicable option. No risk assessment was carried out by either company and there was no safe system of work for riding on a gantry crane. HJ Enthoven should have made sure it knew what its contractor, Key Engineering, was doing on its site and how they were doing it."

Key Engineering (Chesterfield) Ltd, of Brearley Street, Old Whittington, Chesterfield pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for the incident involving the crane and was £5,000 with costs of £2,305

HJ Enthoven Ltd, of Daley Dale Smelter, South Darley, Matlock, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for the same incident and was fined £5,000.

The company was also fined £10,000 after admitting to breaching Section 2 (1) of the same act for the incident which led to the explosion.

The total costs for HJ Enthoven Ltd were £8,256.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."
3. Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."

Press enquiries

Regional reporters should call the appropriate Regional News Network press office.

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by the Regional News Network