￡1.4 Million COMAH fine for Total

摘要

Oil giant Total UK has been fined ￡1.4 million after failures in its safety management system (SMS) resulted in a fatal fire at its Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire. The fine equates to 8.2% of Total UK's 2014 pre-tax profits of ￡17 million (made on a ￡761 million turnover). Robert Greenacre, a 24-year-old contract fitter, died on 29 June 2010 while working with a colleague near a crude oil distillation unit. The HSE's investigating inspector, John Moran, told HSB that the relatively "simple and straightforward maintenance task" involved blinding a low-pressure steam line in the distillation column and, as such, presented a "great risk". The blind (a metal disc the size of a saucer that is inserted in the pipe flange) had been removed a month before by another fitting contractor to allow steam into the column for cleaning during a shutdown. The column, through which 10-15 tonnes of hot crude oil was circulating, was being restarted but the blind had not been replaced.