Tata prosecuted for endangering workers during gas leak repair

Two workers narrowly avoided being killed or seriously injured when flames up to three metres in length shot from a leaking gas pipe during poorly planned and executed repair work.

The incident at Tata Steel's Scunthorpe Steelworks, on Brigg Road, Scunthorpe, resulted in minor facial burns for one of the repair team, although a court heard yesterday (25 January) that both workers were extremely fortunate not to have been engulfed in the blaze.

Scunthorpe Magistrates were told that coke oven gas was detected leaking from an overhead pipe feeding the central power station at the plant on 25 February 2009.

Work to repair a small hole in the pipe using a bung and resin was initially postponed until the following day, but that technique then had to be abandoned when it widened to a "fist-sized" defect measuring approximately 75mm in diameter.

An alternative repair was suggested using a fabricated metal plate that would be drilled into place and then sealed. However, as a Tata employee attempted to put the first screw in place, the live gas in the pipe ignited, sending a jet of flames shooting from the hole.

The workers, one of whom was an external contractor, were just inches from the blast in the basket of a mobile working platform, which they swiftly manoeuvred to the ground.

Emergency services supported Tata's on-site fire fighters to tackle the blaze, protect other nearby pipes and supports, and prevent the situation escalating. It was only then that the coke oven gas supply was isolated.

Tata Steel UK Limited, registered to Millbank, London, pleaded guilty to two separate breaches of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 in connection to the incident. The first breach, of Regulation 5(1), related to an inadequate and unsuitable risk assessment. The second, of Regulation 6(1), concerned the fact employee safety was compromised because Tata failed to eliminate the risk arising from coke oven gas.

The company was fined a total of £30,000 and ordered to pay £1,696 in costs.

After the hearing HSE Inspector John Moran said:

"This was a serious incident and a very near miss for those involved. Thankfully on this occasion a full recovery from the injuries sustained was possible, but it could easily have resulted in a double fatality, and it is a matter of chance that it didn't.This poorly managed repair was gambling with people's lives by putting them in positions of extreme risk.

"Those responsible for managing safety should not ignore dangerous occurrences of this nature. Even where serious injuries are avoided, the root cause of the near miss should be thoroughly investigated, understood, and appropriate action taken. By doing this industry can prevent unnecessary incidents where the outcome might not be so favourable for those involved."