Sonae (UK) Limited was today fined £70, 000 and ordered to pay £77,046 costs at Liverpool Crown Court following a fire and dust explosion at its Knowsley premises in June 2002.

The company pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in that it failed to ensure the safety of all its employees, including John Henry Thomas, by the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work in the IMAL plant that were safe and without risks to health contrary to Section 33 of the Act.

Today's case was the fourth successful HSE prosecution against Sonae since it opened its Knowsley premises in 2000.

It followed HSE's investigation of an incident at Sonae's Knowsley Industrial Park premises where it manufactures and processes particleboard on 1 June 2002 when a worker, Mr. John Henry Thomas, was seriously injured as a result of a fire and dust explosion.

Not only was Mr. Thomas injured, but also many others were placed at risk and very substantial damage was caused to the premises.

Mr. Thomas suffered blast injuries to both lungs, rib fractures, a head injury, fractures to his neck vertebrae and an injury to the left elbow.

HSE Inspector Tim Beaumont, who led the investigation, says: "The basic problem uncovered by our investigation was that during the design and construction of the factory in 2000, Sonae did not take an overall view of safety in connection with the manufacturing process. The production
line was made up of sections designed and installed by different suppliers. No one made sure that when everything was put together all the risks were properly managed. So in June 2002 when some smouldering material entered the production line it caused a fire that was able to spread through the entire production line.

"This incident shows that companies responsible for managing a complex production process need to carry out careful assessments of risk. Companies should not just look at small sections of the process in isolation. They need to think about the bigger picture and manage the risks arising from the whole production line.

"Today is the culmination of four years of hard work by HSE staff and our legal team. It all started with a devastating explosion at the Sonae factory in Kirkby, which could have had serious consequences for the workforce and neighbouring residents. Finding the cause of the explosion
and then preparing the case against the company was a very complex task. A large number of witnesses were interviewed and great quantities of documentary evidence and technical data was sifted through. The HSE's thorough investigation has resulted in the successful prosecution of Sonae UK for a breach of health and safety legislation.