HSE | A major gas leak at Fawley Oil Refinery in Hampshire has resulted in a £1 million fine, following an investigation and prosecution by the HSE.
On 8 November 2022, there was a partial collapse of a large steel tower at the Fawley Refinery, causing the structure to slew and rupture pipework, resulting in the uncontrolled release of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The incident led to a loss of containment of approximately 2,400kg of LPG over a 33-hour period. It took just over 30 minutes for around 400kg of the gas to be released following the collapse.
The HSE reports that workers were in the vicinity at the time of the collapse and were exposed to the risk of serious injury from falling debris, as well as the potential for burns had the gas ignited. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Emergency measures, including the use of water curtains, were implemented to reduce the spread of the extremely flammable vapour. It took approximately 33 hours to isolate the affected process and safely vent the remaining substances to the flare system.
The HSE’s investigation found that the structural collapse was caused by corrosion of the steel tower that had developed over many years. This corrosion had been identified as early as 2010, but the company failed to take appropriate action to control the risk.
ESSO Petroleum Company Limited, of Ermyn House, Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1 million and ordered to pay £12,277 in costs.
Amanda Huff, an Inspector in HSE’s specialist Chemicals, Explosives & Major Hazards Division, said: “This incident resulted in the uncontrolled release of a large quantity of flammable gas, which exposed workers to very real and potentially life-threatening risks.
“The underlying cause was a failure to properly manage the integrity of plant and equipment, despite corrosion being identified many years earlier.
“Workers and the wider public have every right to assume that sites processing large quantities of highly flammable chemicals are being properly managed – and it is vital for companies to make sure robust systems are in place to maintain critical infrastructure safely.
“This incident could have been far worse, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of the breaches our investigation uncovered.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddall and paralegal officer Stephen Grabe.
