A company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and fined £2.3 million after unsafe working practices meant there was a risk of “serious injury or death to multiple casualties.”
Exolum Pipeline System Ltd, formerly known as CLH Pipeline System (CLH-PS) Ltd, is a major pipeline transportation company based in London.
Back in March 2018 they were excavating a suspected pipeline leak in the woodland adjacent to the B1398 and M180 near Holme, North Lincolnshire. Their employees were working on an area where a previous repair had already taken place.
Significant safety risk
The excavation work carried significant risks for all involved, which the company had failed to identify and manage.
Last month, Grimsby Crown Court heard that an unknown defect on the previous repair of the pipeline that contained petroleum under high pressure had the potential to form a flammable cloud that could extend over several metres from the work area. If this occurred, it would cause all those in the immediate vicinity to potentially be covered in a heavy spray of petrol and engulfed in petrol vapour.
If ignition happened before the area could be evacuated, there would have been a very high risk of death or significant injury.
Firm pleaded guilty to safety breaches
Exolum Pipeline System Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching sections of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 after an HSE investigation found that they had failed to properly identify and adequately control the risks associated with carrying out a pipeline repair.
They were ordered to pay prosecution costs of £157,431 in addition to their large fine.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Mark Leadbetter said:
“This incident had the potential to cause serious injury or death to multiple casualties and could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.”
He added that errant firms “should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
Training to identify and manage risk
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.
They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.
Their diverse portfolio includes training awards in Handling Hazardous Substances, Health and Safety, Lone Working, Risk Assessment, Manual Handling, Accident and Incident Investigation and Managing and Supervising Safety, among many others.
FRT is also approved to deliver world-renowned IOSH-accredited and certificated training courses such as IOSH Working Safely, IOSH Supervising Safely and IOSH Managing Safely.
A trainer from FRT explains:
“This case highlights exactly why it’s so vitally important that employers have a good understanding of health and safety law and that health and safety at work is well managed, with suitable risk assessments, control measures, policies and procedures in place for all working activities – particularly such high risk ones.”
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.