In a case described as “tragic” by the HSE inspector who investigated it, a garage mechanic was set alight and subsequently died from pneumonia as a result of his injuries.
City of London Magistrates’ Court heard that Biagio Malacaria, a mechanic employed by car repair and service garage, Alexanders of Twickenham, had been instructed on 12 December 2005 to change part of a car’s leaking fuel line, a task that involved the removal of a back wheel. “It was a fairly simple job, apart from the fact that petrol should have been removed from the car before it was done,” Andrew Withers, the HSE inspector who investigated and prosecuted the case, told SHP.
Mr Malacaria was found engulfed in flames, although it is not known exactly how he was set alight, as he was alone at the time of the incident. Some of his co-workers came out and tried to extinguish the flames, burning their own hands in the process.
“There were several highly-foreseeable sources of ignition in the vicinity, and instead of storing petrol in proper containers, it had been drained into an open bucket,” added inspector Withers. “In addition, a lead lamp used for inspection had been attached with crocodile clips to a car battery, which could have led to a spark — and, to make matters worse, an old oil heater blowing out warm air was also nearby. Other, very poor, equipment was available for similar jobs.”
Alexanders of Twickenham pleaded guilty on 25 June to breaching s2(1) of HSWA 1974 by failing to ensure Mr Malacaria’s safety. It was fined £20,000, the maximum fine possible in a Magistrates’ Court for the offence, and told to pay full costs of £16,905. Inspector Withers commented that £20,000 was a significant fine for a small garage and should act as a suitable deterrent. “I hope this case encourages other employers who have to control the risks created by petrol to double-check their arrangements and ensure they are adequate and sensible,” he said.
Inspector Withers added: “No risk assessment was in place for fire and explosions, there was a lack of safety measures for this type of work, and the company failed to ensure that all staff were suitably trained.”
The company expressed great remorse and said it had fully cooperated with the investigation. Since the incident, it has taken remedial action to avoid any possible repetition.
(The image shows the extent of the damage to the garage’s door caused by the fire that led to Mr Malacaria’s death.)
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