An engineering firm has been sentenced for safety failings after an employee suffered life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a 400kg metal ring.
Kenneth Hunter, 33, was working at Oil States Klaper Ltd’s site in Bathgate, West Lothian, when the incident happened on 25 May 2011.
Mr Hunter was carrying out a pressure test on an annular, a blow out prevention (BOP) device, which is used in the oil and gas industry to prevent pressure encountered from oil well drilling from breaching oil rig platforms.
The HSE said Mr Hunter had climbed on to the annular in order to tighten jacking bolts as he was unable to reach across the 1.4 metre device. While he was on top there was a loud bang and a locking ring, which weighed 400kg shot up. It hit him in the face and torso, throwing him into the air.
It’s thought the pressure gauge was out of calibration, and despite it reading zero, there was 300 PSI left in the vessel. The force of this residual pressure blew the ring into the air. Mr Hunter has been left with permanent scarring to his face and was only able to return to work on light duties earlier this year.
The HSE’s investigation revealed Oil States Klaper had failed to provide an adequate system of work for the removal of the locking rings. There was no safe system of work in place and the company also failed to heed previous written advice on general pressure testing from a number of HM inspectors and HSE inspectors.
HSE inspector Kerry Cringan said: “Oil States Klaper failed to plan the work to ensure there was no pressure in vessels before removing any of the parts of those vessels. In addition, it did not take suitable precautions to keep people away from vessels under pressure, or to contain parts, which could be ejected if the pressure was released.”
The company appeared at Livingstone Sheriff Court on 26 July and pleaded guilty to breaching s2 of the HSWA 1974. It was fined £40,000, but no costs are awarded in Scotland.
In mitigation, the company said it has subsequently created a safe system of work and expressed its remorse for the accident. It has complied with two improvement notices, firstly to provide a safe system of work for the removal of the locking ring on BOP, and secondly, to ensure suitable controls when pressure testing outside the designated pressure testing kit. The company voluntarily stopped all pressure testing until improvements had been made and has spent £100,000 on training and equipment since the incident.
In addition, the company has designed a propriety gantry system, which allows workers to access the points on top of the annular without climbing on to the equipment.
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