Record fines issued to firms involved in Buncefield disaster
19 Jul 2010
The five companies involved in the Buncefield oil depot disaster in
2005 have been issued with record fines for their part in health
and safety failures.
A judge ordered the companies to pay almost GBP 10 million between
them for breaching regulations and causing the explosion, which is
thought to be the biggest ever experienced in peacetime
Europe.
Total received the largest fine at GBP 6.2 million, while
Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited was ordered to pay GBP 2.4
million and the British Pipeline Agency was told it would have to
pay GBP 780,000.
Meanwhile, Motherwell Control Systems 2003 and TAV Engineering were
both fined GBP 1,500 each.
The judge making the rulings said it was "nothing short of
miraculous" that the explosion occurred on a Sunday and that as a
result, nobody was hurt.
However, Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning criticised the justice
system for failing to provide compensation to the home and business
owners who lost money in the accident.
He said they had their "businesses, lives, homes and health
destroyed by an industrial disaster which should never have
happened and was obviously completely preventable".
Last month, the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment
Agency said the investigation into the Buncefield incident is the
largest the two organisations have ever worked on together.
The explosion measured 2.4 on the Richter scale and happened when
300 tonnes of petrol spilled from storage tanks and created a
vapour cloud which then ignited.
More than 630 companies were forced to close during the resulting
blaze.
