Pressure systems warning after worker loses leg

Last June, a 44-year-old man employed at food manufacturers Authentic World Cuisine Ltd in Loughborough, Leicestershire, suffered horrific injuries when the door of an autoclave, or pressure cooker, exploded midway through a cooking cycle.

The company was today fined £4,000 at Loughborough Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to a breach of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations - specifically Regulation 12, which requires that pressure systems are properly maintained in good repair so as to prevent danger.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said a circular steel door from the autoclave had struck the employee sending him 8 metres across the factory floor leading to multiple fractures. He also sustained burns from the hot contents of cooker.

As a result of the incident the man's leg was amputated, he spent more than five months in hospital and is now being looked after at home.

Statutory examinations

HSE inspector Roger Amery commented: "Major injuries in the food industry arising from the sudden or explosive release of pressure are, I am pleased to say, infrequent events. But this incident shows just how serious the consequences can be when things do go wrong and just how much energy is contained within industrial pressure systems.

"There might easily have been one or several fatalities in this explosion. The injuries that did result were very severe with long term consequences for the man who had the misfortune of being in the path of this door when the system exploded."

He added: "I hope this will serve as a reminder to employers and to managers who have specific responsibility for plant and equipment, that as well as ensuring periodic statutory examinations are made, it is equally important to ensure that all maintenance on pressure vessels is undertaken competently and that the protection systems are kept in good working order at all times."

The Pressure System Safety Regulations came into effect in 2000 to ensure that industrial pressure systems are designed, installed, operated and maintained to ensure safety.

According to the HSE there are around 150 dangerous incidents at work each year in the UK involving the failure of pressure equipment. A free leaflet (pdf) covering pressure systems safety and the relevant regulations is available on the HSE website here.

Through its partner Bureau Veritas, Norwich Union can arrange for statutory inspection of equipment - including pressure systems - as part of an insurance package. Speak to your insurance broker or adviser for further information.