Chemical company fined £100,000 after worker scarred for life by steam hose

A chemical company has been fined £100,000 after one of its workers was permanently scarred from burns from a steam hose at a site in Motherwell.

The 23-year-old was burnt across his back and other areas of his body as he attempted to clean a process water tank in October 2019.

He had been worked for Dundas Chemical Company (Mosspark) Limited at its site at Omoa Works in Newarthill for around two years at the time of the incident.

The company operates a large rendering plant that processes animal waste and food industry waste to produce proteins, fats and oils used in the oleo chemical, fuel, and feed industries. As a result of this process, the water tank and vickery would need occasional cleaning.

During a nightshift, the employee had been told to undertake cleaning duties on the process water tank, the vickery and the walls and floors in that area.

The company provided pressure washers as well as a steam hose for cleaning down difficult areas.

As the steam hose was heavy and cumbersome to manoeuvre, with the uninsulated nozzle also becoming hot, the man and a colleague took it in turns to carry out the task.

The man went on to finish the cleaning on his own while his colleague then went on to carry out other duties.

He used the aid of a small cherry picker to attach the steam hose to its basket.

After the basket had been raised to the required height, the steam hose and nozzle spun round and steam began flowing into the cherry picker basket directly at him.

He quickly turned his back to prevent his face being burned, while manipulating the nozzle of the hose away from him and lowering the basket of the cherry picker, at which point he was able to run through to one of the deluge showers to cool his burn injuries.

He was taken to hospital with steam burns to several parts of his body, which have left scars.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HES) found the nozzle fitted to the steam hose was unsafe and that the mixing valve set up for supplying hot water for cleaning was not maintained in an efficiant working order or in good repair.

Supervisors at the site were aware that the mixing valve was passing steaming but no action was taken to investigate of prevent it from happening.

HSE inspectors also found the maintenance and engineering team had no sound engineering understading of the risks involved when setting up such a washdown system and how to mitigate or control those risks.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £100,000 at Hamilton Sheriff Court on August 18.

HSE inspector Ashley Fallis said: “Had a safe system of work been in place then this incident would not have happened.

“The lack of appropriate risk assessment, method statements, training and supervision for both the maintenance team who installed the valve, and the operators tasked with using the system, led to a situation where those involved were unaware of risks or simple control measures.

“This catalogue of failures resulted in a young man sustaining very serious burns, to which he still bears the scars to this day.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to protect their employees.”