Defence firm sentenced over explosion death 19 November 2012

Wallop Defence Systems (WDS) has been ordered to pay £376,000 in fines and costs for safety failings that caused a fatal explosion at its Hampshire factory.

Anthony Sheridan, 37, from Over Wallop, was killed in the blast at WDS, in Middle Wallop near Stockbridge, in June 2006, which also injured several other workers.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Sheridan was emptying one of six industrial ovens used in the manufacture of military flares. The ovens contained high levels of nitro-glycerine that exploded, destroying the factory.

WDS knew back in 2004 that its process for curing pellets, as part of the production of military flares, resulted in the explosive by-product. HSE found that the company's senior management and technical advisers were not competent to deal with the issue, yet they failed to seek professional assistance.

HSE found WDS was not complying with the basics in explosive safety and failed to adhere to licensing requirements for the storage and processing of explosive substances.

A second explosion occurred in December 2008 when the company attempted to dismantle the remaining nitro-glycerine contaminated oven on the company's second site. No one was injured, but the court heard that the company had failed to seek competent expert advice and that the incident was entirely foreseeable and avoidable.

Wallop Defence Systems was convicted for three breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 – two relating to the fatal explosion and the other to the second blast.

Speaking after sentencing, Qamar Khan, principal inspector for HSE's explosives team, said: "Anthony Sheridan suffered horrifying injuries in the explosion that caused his death.

"Both this explosion and the subsequent blast were foreseeable and preventable, had the company sought and taken appropriate advice and implemented the correct measures.

"It is especially concerning that, despite issues with the factory being reported to senior WDS management, nothing materially changed to safeguard employees and the public. The company deluded itself that everything was OK and in hand.

"Companies working with dangerous substances must take extreme care at all times and in all aspects of their operations. That clearly didn't happen here, and the consequences were tragic."

Brian Tinham

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Health & Safety Executive

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