Hazchem haulier hammered
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MI A northern hazchem tanker haulier, who failed to train his driver properly, failed to maintain his vehicle adequately and who leaked highly inflammable liquid across the trans-Pennine M62 motorway, was fined £4,700 last week by Morley Magistrates Court.
Henford Ltd, which trades as Hove European of Bolton, admitted three charges before the magistrates. It had also failed to make fire extinguishers readily available on the truck.
Richard Emmott, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, said the tanker had been carrying 20 tonnes of styrene, a toxic and highly flammable liquid, between Immingham and Stalybridge. The liquid had leaked on to the motorway near Gildersome, seriously jeopardising public safety and the emergency services. The police had been concerned that if the liquid had come into contact with a vehicle's exhaust pipe or smoking materials it might have ignited. The tanker had been taken to the Derby Hotel, Gildersome, after police had noticed the leakage on the motorway, and the hotel had to be evacuated as a precaution.
There had been no fire extinguisher on the vehicle, said Emmott, and the driver had not received the necessary training in the carriage of dangerous substances, despite him asking senior manager Ronald Hennessey to send him on a Hazchem course.
The necessary information for dealing with the substance in an emergency had not been earned in the cab, as required by the regulations. Instead, there had been instructions for dealing with sulphuric acid, which was like comparing "chalk with cheese", Emmott said.
Paul Campbell, for the company, said that he had no instruction to put forward any mitigation.
Fining the company a total of £4,200 and ordering it to pay 2500 prosecution costs, the chairman of the magistrates, M T Elliott, said the offences were extremely grave and could have had terrible consequences. The firm had gained a commercial advantage at a price which put the public at risk.
Roger Quick, a depot manager with the chemicals company which had used Hove European, Atochem of Stalybridge, told Commercial Motor that a spothire contract with the haulier had now been cancelled.