Festival Fireworks Owners Jailed for Fatal Accident
The owners of erstwhile Festival Fireworks UK Ltd have been given a jail sentence in a case regarding a fire accident at their factory, which claimed the life of two fire fighters. In defence, the company’s lawyers had said that the firemen should have been aware of the risks.
The accident occurred in late 2006 when a fire broke out in the fireworks factory. The fire service personnel who responded to the call tried to control the fire that was spreading rapidly owing to the material stored inside. They finally decided to evacuate and withdraw from the premises.
A huge unlicensed metal container had been kept in the premises with fireworks inside for transport abroad. As the fire spread, this container ignited and exploded with a huge impact, killing two fire service personnel nearby. Fireman
Following this, charges of manslaughter were brought against the owner of the factory, Martin Winter and his son, Nathan. While Martin Winter was given a seven-year jail sentence, Nathan was awarded a five-year jail term. A fine of £30,000 was also imposed on the company. Both the accused have denied the charges.
The prosecution pointed out that the owners were aware of the high risk of explosion in the metal container in case of fire. This showed gross negligence of safety rules. The judge presiding over the proceedings said that the owners were completely responsible for the accident and the tragic deaths as they were aware of the consequences of their unauthorised storing of the metal container with fireworks, which was tantamount to violating explosives regulations.
However, the judge also remarked that better training and awareness on how best to deal with fires such as these must be imparted to firemen also. This will prevent any repetition of such mishaps, he said.
Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions to employees with regard to health and safety issues – click CIPD Training – to help Management to learn how to promote a positive health and safety attitude in their workplace and to assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper health and safety procedures for all kinds of workplace situations.
