A firm that manufactures airport fuel tanks has been successfully prosecuted after a father-of-three suffered severe injuries in an explosion which left him almost completely paralysed.
While working for Fuel Proof Ltd, Karol Robaczewski was cleaning the inside of a 20,000 litre fuel tank, known as a bowser, when he was engulfed by a fireball which caused severe burns.
Preston Crown Court heard that the 38-year-old worker had climbed through a manhole cover on top of the six-metre-long tank and was cleaning the inside by applying a highly flammable solvent to a cloth and then wiping down the walls.
The court was told the tanks needed to be spotlessly clean before being delivered to customers in the aviation industry to avoid getting dirt into the fuel used by aeroplanes. Workers took it in turns to clean each tank as the build-up of fumes from the solvent made them feel sick.
While he was cleaning Mr Robaczewski decided that the lamp inside the tank was getting too hot, so he pulled the plug from its socket.
As he did so, a spark caused the fumes to ignite and he was surrounded by flames, which were witnessed shooting two metres up into the air above the manhole cover.
The fire was said to be so hot that it melted the visor on his mask and his protective suit so that only the elastic from the collar and cuffs were left. Mr Robaczewski suffered multiple burns over most of his body, including his arms, legs and face. His hair and eyebrows were burnt off and his lips were badly burnt. He was in hospital for three months and is now almost totally paralysed.
An HSE investigation into the incident found that the method of cleaning the fuel tanks with a highly flammable solvent had been used since 2007, but Fuel Proof had failed to carry out any kind of risk assessment.
The court heard that there was no supervision of workers or monitoring of the fumes inside the tank, and the masks and lighting provided were entirely unsuitable.
The day after the incident, the company decided it did not need to use a solvent to clean the fuel tank and instead used soapy water.
On 28 October, Fuel Proof Ltd was fined £66,000 and was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £25,000 after pleading guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the HSWA 1974.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Rose Leese-Weller said: “Karol suffered horrific injuries in the explosion and will need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
“It is shocking that Fuel Proof allowed workers to use a highly flammable solvent to clean the inside of fuel tanks for four years without giving a single thought to the risks.
“What’s even more appalling is that there was never any need for workers to use solvents to clean the tanks, as the company now uses soapy water to clean them out.”
She added that firms should consider whether they need to use flammable substances, and if they do, to find a safe way of using them.
Mr Robaczewski said: “I wish that was has happened to me never happens to anyone else. I am not able to lift my arms, move my legs and feet or hold anything in my fingers and hands.
“Generally I am very bored and frustrated. I am not able to do anything I used to do before the accident.
“I can’t play football with my son or give my children a cuddle, and my life will never be the same again.”
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