Industrial Chemicals Limited fined £3.8m for COSHH breaches

The investigation revealed that ICL failed to manage risks associated with caustic soda, a highly corrosive chemical. 

At its West Thurrock site, the company operated without a robust system for the inspection or maintenance of critical infrastructure. 

Consequently, hazardous leaks from pipework, valves, and hoses were left unaddressed. 

Rather than rectifying these systemic engineering flaws or establishing safe, designated walkways to prevent contact with spillages, the company relied on sub-standard personal protective equipment (PPE) – specifically ineffective safety boots – as a primary barrier. 

A safety boot Mr Bartholomew was wearing when he received the injury. Image: HSE

This negligence meant that when Michael Bartholomew, now 60, stepped into a puddle of liquid suspected to contain caustic soda, he sustained serious burns that resulted in his leg being amputated below the knee.

The pattern of failure continued at ICL’s Titan Works site, where an employee suffered burns requiring skin grafts during a manual decanting process. 

Investigators discovered that ICL had failed to conduct a risk assessment for this task, despite the existence of an idle, fully automated dosing plant that would have eliminated the need for manual handling entirely.

The caustic loading area from the ICL site. Image: HSE

Investigating HSE Inspector Julia Gebauer noted that ICL “manifestly failed to put proper measures in place.” 

“This pointed to a pattern of avoidable risks that Industrial Chemicals Ltd could and should have prevented,” Gebauer stated. 

“That Mr Bartholomew didn’t have protective boots that were up to standard when he stepped in a puddle of caustic soda was only one of many failures that Industrial Chemicals Ltd have been held to account for.”

Industrial Chemicals Ltd, of Brentwood, Essex, was fined at Southwark Crown Court for two charges of breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and ordered to pay £124,748 in costs