Wiltshire chemical firm fined £40,000

A Wiltshire chemical company has been fined £40,000 following, in June 2019, a release of chlorine. The release resulted from the inadvertent discharge of an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) containing approximately 700 kg of concentrated sulphuric acid into a mixing vessel which already contained 1,600 litres of sodium hypochlorite solution. The large cloud of toxic gas permeated the factory and surrounding area. There was no clear evacuation plan for workers caught on-site, with several taken to hospital with breathing difficulties. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the incident happened because a dedicated mixing plant had not been brought back into service after maintenance work, and the company had failed to introduce effective records management for the temporary manual system.