Firm and contractor fined for Derbyshire gas accident

A skip-hire firm and its contractor have been fined almost £30,000 after a gas explosion led to the evacuation of a Derbyshire village.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Elliott Kirk, a contractor working for Belper Skip Hire Ltd, struck the gas main with a mechanical post knocker while installing fencing around Belper’s farm on Brackenfield Lane, Wessington.

The HSE statement said its investigation found that the skip-hire firm had been informed of the location of the gas main the previous month and was told that no ground-penetrating works were to be carried out in the area. But, according to the inspectorate, it failed to pass this information on to Kirk.

Its statement added that Kirk did not obtain underground service diagrams prior to starting the work nor take other steps to check for the presence of underground services.

Residents in Wessington were forced to leave their homes in June 2022 after the underground gas main was struck, releasing more than 2m kg of gas into the atmosphere and putting 30 homes at risk of fire.

According to the HSE, Belper Skip Hire Ltd of Ascot Drive, Derby, was fined £26,667 and ordered to pay £3,173 in costs at Derby Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The HSE said Kirk, of Castle Gate, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, incurring a fine of £800 and an order to pay costs of £3,173.

Sinead Martin, the HSE’s investigating inspector, said both had failed in their duties, putting Kirk himself and others in the vicinity at serious risk.

“It is extremely fortunate that this incident did not result in serious injury; had the gas ignited, the resulting explosion would have been catastrophic,” she said.

Prior to breaking ground, contractors must take appropriate steps to check for the presence of underground services, Martin advised, and then adopt safe digging practices to ensure that no buried services are damaged as a result of the work.

“Commercial clients have a duty to pass on all relevant pre-construction information within their possession to contractors, to enable them to manage the risks,” she said.