A 28-year old employee of Multinational manufacturer CEMEX UK Operations Ltd died in a violent explosion on 15th January 2008 at its Rugby cement works. Such was the ferocity of the blast the accident victim was blasted through the side of the building onto the road 10 metres below.
The deceased man was treating waste cement dust in the bypass dust plant and whilst clearing a blockage in the lower mixer the explosion of steam and dust occurred inside the machine. Despite foreknowledge of the circumstances that led to the explosion, a man was injured in May 2006 using the same machine, CEMEX failed to review its risk assessment. It recognised the potential for such blockages to cause explosions as steam pressure built up within the mixer, but it neglected to act to prevent them. Had the company made changes to the mixer to reduce the flow of dust and improve the venting and cooling systems, or devised a new system of work, the accident could have been prevented.
An HSE official commented: “CEMEX’s protection against the build up of pressure was for the plant to be continuously vented when processing waste cement dust, but it frequently blocked. These blockages then caused steam to build up to a high pressure.”
CEMEX Operations UK Ltd of Egham, Surrey, admitted breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £200,000 with £172,000 costs.18th October 2011
Source: http://www.safetynews.co.uk/
Filed under: General
