Bedfordshire firm fined after accident left man in coma

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Twinwoods Business Park entrance near Bedford.Image source, Google
Image caption,
Two workers were injured after an explosion at a company which processes hazardous waste

A waste company has been fined £100,000 after an explosion injured two workers, leaving one in a coma.

They were lifting aerosol canisters into a shredder at B&W Waste Management Services near Bedford when a spark from a forklift ignited a cloud of gas.

An investigation found the work was not suitably planned, supervised by a competent person or carried out safely.

The company, of Thurleigh Road, Milton Ernest, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.

Luton Magistrates' Court heard how one of the employees suffered third-degree burns in the incident on 12 July 2016. He was in an induced coma for 10 days and put on a life support machine.

The man has had several operations and was said to have been left with "considerable permanent scarring". He will also require lifelong medication for nerve pain.

Speaking after the hearing, Health and Safety Executive inspector Andrew McGill said: "Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.

"If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life-changing injuries suffered by one employee could have been prevented."

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