A vehicle seat manufacturing company based in Ebbw Vale, has been fined after a worker was injured from an explosion. Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard how an operator at Sears Manufacturing Company (Europe) Limited suffered burns to his head and hands.
A highly flammable release agent is used to prevent dispensed foam sticking to the seat mould. It was during this process that the release agent ignited, causing an explosion which injured the operator.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 26 January 2015 found that a failure to have suitable control measures in place caused the release agent to ignite.
Sears Manufacturing Company (Europe) Limited, of Rassau Industrial Estate, Ebbw Vale, Gwent, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 5,6, and 9 of Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,010.
Dangerous substances can put peoples' safety at risk from fire, explosion and corrosion of metal. A dangerous substance is any substance used or present at work that could, if not properly controlled, cause harm to people as a result of a fire or explosion or corrosion of metal.
They are found in nearly all workplaces and include such things as solvents, paints, varnishes, flammable gases, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), dusts from machining and sanding operations, pressurised gases and substances corrosive to metal.
In order to comply with DSEAR, employers must:
- find out what dangerous substances are in their workplace and what the risks are
- put control measures in place to either remove those risks or, where this is not possible, control them
- put controls in place to reduce the effects of any incidents involving dangerous substances
- prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies involving dangerous substances
- make sure employees are properly informed about and trained to control or deal with the risks from the dangerous substances
- identify and classify areas of the workplace where explosive atmospheres may occur and avoid ignition sources (from unprotected equipment, for example) in those areas
