Cardiff Crown Court heard the young worker was instructed to stand on top of a skip and pour a drum of flammable thinners onto burning waste to help it to burn. The fireball that resulted when the thinners ignited threw the worker from the skip and he suffered substantial burns to his arms and legs.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that company director David Stead did not ensure that the waste was burnt safely. He failed to administer any first aid to the young injured worker and did not send him to hospital, which would have been the appropriate response given the severity of the injuries suffered. Stead also failed to inform HSE of the incident, as legally required. The incident was only reported sometime later by a third party
David Gordon Stead, aged 51, of Mildred Street, Beddau, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and to breaching Section 4 (1) of The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). He was sentenced to 32 weeks’ imprisonment, half on release under licence. He has also been disqualified from being a company director for seven years.
HSE inspector Adele Davies said after the hearing: “David Stead failed his employees. His actions could have resulted in the death of this worker. The young man suffered unnecessary life threatening injuries due to poor working standards. We hope this sentence sends out a message that directors of businesses must take their health and safety responsibilities seriously.”
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