A 24-year-old man suffered severe burns to his face, neck, left arm and hand when he opened the industrial oven at his workplace. The oven was low-oxygen and was used to remove paint from metal.

His burns were so serious that he had to be taken by air ambulance to hospital where he remained on the high dependency ward for several days.  Although his burns healed and he has since returned to work he has been left with skin sensitivity which means he cannot go out in sunlight.

It was thought that when he opened the door to the oven the influx of oxygen caused a flash fire from the 400 degree oven. When the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the accident it found that the safety device, which prevented the oven door from being opened if it reached a temperature of more than 260 degrees, had been deactivated.

The employers, Enviro-Strip, were guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulation 5(1) of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002. They were fined £20,000 plus costs of £6,491.

HSE inspector Gail Pannell said:

"This was a very serious, entirely preventable incident that could easily have been fatal and left a man on a life support machine. He is extremely lucky to have recovered from his injuries.

"When working with potentially dangerous substances at high temperatures, companies must carry out proper risk assessments and set up a safe system of work.

"This includes checking that safety devices are fit for purpose and suitably maintained."

Legal executive Veronica Male of Access Legal from Shoosmiths said: "The fact that a safety device to prevent the oven door being opened was disabled is a matter of significant concern. 

"The oven should have been inspected and maintained and the problem with the lock remedied by the employers, thereby preventing the accident. 

"The employers should have trained their staff to be aware of the dangers when using the ovens to ensure that they understood the risks. This would've prevented them from over-riding the safety system."

Further details of the HSE prosecution can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-wm-41811.htm#?eban=rss-press-release

For more personal injury advice, please visit our Personal Injury Solicitors page.

Veronica is a Legal Executive in the Personal Injury team with more than 12 years personal injury experience.

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