Pascal Bates Prosecutes Oil Drum Explosion Case

On 27 November Pascal Bates successfully prosecuted C.V.S. (Anglia) Limited, an Ipswich vehicle repair company, for safety failures at its garage premises.

A workshop assistant was badly injured when cutting open an old oil drum with an oxy-acetylene torch. The incident was caught on CCTV (seehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-20533754), which shows how quickly flammable residues can ignite if proper safety procedures are not followed.

The company explained to the Court that the assistant had been trying to make an incinerator for his superior to use on an allotment, but the court imposed the maximum fines – £40,000 – and ordered it to pay as well, almost £17,000 in Ipswich Borough Council’s investigative and legal costs.