UK Safety News
Safety News March 2010
A York recycling company has been fined £40,000 for failing to safely store flammable liquid, which was later used in an arson attack.
The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation into hazardous waste specialist BCB Environmental Management after a former employee started a blaze at the company's premises in 2008.
The probe found that BCB had stored drums of dangerous chemicals close to unprotected electrical equipment. An unsafe and illegal drum crushing machine, on which the emergency stop button was almost unrecognisable and a vital guard was missing, was also in regular use by the firm.
The company pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of health and safety legislation.
Harrogate Magistrates' Court fined BCB £40,000 and ordered it to pay £6,110 in costs.
The employee was prosecuted for arson at an earlier hearing.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
Safety for Work Comment ....
Storage of hazardous materials and liquids may seem like basic house-keeping but this latest case proves that overlooking it can have costly consequences. Whilst we could argue that use of it for arson is an extreme circumstance, there is no doubt that poor adherence to COSHH and basic safety management principles can have devastating results.