One worker from Cheshire was recently burned in a horrific personal injury at work after being caught in an explosion as he worked to remove pipe work from a trench.
Macclesfield native Stephen Rowley, forty three years of age, had been at Knutsford’s Egerton Youth Club when he was caught in a blast caused by the rupture of liquid petroleum gas pipe, said personal injury solicitor experts that had familiarity with the incident. Mr Rowley was engulfed in a massive fireball in the explosion, sustaining severe burn injuries to both his upper body and face, requiring him to undergo lengthy medical treatments before he could return to work.
Mr Rowley’s injury solicitors told Macclesfield Magistrates’ Court that he had been working in a trench at the Youth Club in an attempt to remove some damaged pipe work through the use of a power tool at the time of the accident. However, sparks given off by the power tool ignited the liquid petroleum gas that had been leaking from the pipes, resulting in the massive explosion that caused the worker’s injuries.
The Health and Safety Executive investigated the horrific accident, revealing that Paul Leonard, Mr Rowley’s employer, had neglected to take into consideration that there could be underground gas pipes in the area in which he had set Mr Rowley to work. Moreover, Mr Leonard, who is located in Heyden Close, had also failed to isolate the gas supply prior to putting Mr Rowley to work at his task.
Mr Leonard was subject to a £2,500 fine and told to pay £3,500 in legal fees for his actions as ordered by the court after he admitted to breaching health and safety regulations concerning construction management and design.