Waste company fined £100,000

A Bedfordshire waste company has been fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,603 after two of its employees suffered burns whilst using an industrial plastic shredder to process flammable aerosol containers. While using a gas operated forklift to lift the canisters into a shredder, a spark from the forklift ignited a cloud of gas created by the shredded aerosols, leading to an explosion. While both workers were injured, one suffered serious third degree burns which left him in an induced coma for 10 days, on a life support machine. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the work was not suitably planned, not supervised by a competent person nor was it carried out in a safe manner.