Black Country acid gas cloud firm boss in apology
The boss of a chemical factory ordered to pay almost £500,000 after causing a potentially dangerous phosphoric acid gas cloud that swept across the Black Country on a Bank Holiday has spoken of his regret over the incident.
Jean-Francois Berthiaume, the current Director of the Trinity Street, Oldbury Salvay solutions UK site in Trinity Street, Oldbury expressed sincere regret for any disruption experienced by local residents and businesses at the time of the incident that occurred, three years before he joined its staff.
Mr Berthiaume continued: "Given our focus on prevention and rigour in ensuring that our operations have minimal impact on our neighbours, this incident was of serious concern to us. We constantly strive to ensure our manufacturing processed reach the highest standards of safety and environmental protection.
"We would like to reassure the public that all recommendations made to us by the Health and Safety Executive following its own investigations were put in place. We continue to work with its inspectors on an ongoing basis and welcome its advice."
Solvay was fined £333,000 with £110,000 costs at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday for not properly checking a ' safety critical' piece of equipment that broke in a 'catastrophic' failure causing the white haze that left people with breathing difficulties, streaming eyes and an irritated nose on January 2 2009.
Nobody was badly hurt although Judge John Wait concluded that there had been a risk of employees being killed or badly hurt at the plant which has 20,000 people living within 2,000 meters of the site.
The company - whose UK HQ is in Watford - pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to ensure the health and safety of their employees and others not in their employment.
