Cellulose film packaging company fined after worker dies from exposure to harmful gas

A company producing cellulose film packaging has been fined £200,000 after several employees were exposed to hydrogen sulphide gas. The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs.

An employee was found collapsed in the company’s pump room after exposure to the gas, and when assistance was attempted by a colleague, he was also overcome by the gas. Both men were rescued, with the second regaining consciousness and the man initially found in the pump room unfortunately passing away.  An inquest found that, on the balance of probabilities, the hydrogen sulphide had contributed to his death.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to adequately risk assess its production process as there was no evidence that they had identified hydrogen sulphide gas, a by-product of the process, could enter the water effluent system. This meant that the gas could be released from the drains, risking exposure to employees.