Ereco EMEA Corporation Ltd, a Sussex-based firm which recycles printer toner cartridges, has been fined £30,000 following "a catastrophic explosion" of flammable printer toner powder at its site in October 2011. Eight people were injured as a result of the explosion and subsequent fire, five seriously. One employee had to be placed in an induced coma due to his injuries and remained in hospital for 15 weeks. Portsmouth Crown Court was told that a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service found that the firm had failed to ensure there was a safe system of work in place to reduce the risks when working with dangerous substances, and failed to carry out suitable fire risk assessments or follow guidelines outlined in the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002.
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