A chemical company was fined recently, after a worker suffered 13 percent burns to his right arm and hand following the ignition of flammable vapours at their site.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found “there was an extraction system at the lip of the manway lid to remove vapours from this area, but it was not adequate to prevent a build-up of a flammable atmosphere. The ignition source is likely to have been a spark from the metal scoop, or static electricity build up on the workers clothing.”
Within the UK there is a legal requirement for a DSEAR risk assessment where there is a potential for the creation of explosive or flammable atmospheres and would identify adequate control measures.
