Fine for chemical company after worker suffers burns

• • Worker suffered burns from a steam hose.
• • HSE investigation found steam hose wasn’t safe.
• • Company had no understanding of risks involved.

A chemical company has been fined £100,000 after one of its workers was permanently scarred from burns from a steam hose at a site in Motherwell.

A 23-year-old was burnt across his back and other areas of his body as he attempted to clean a process water tank on 23 October 2019. At the time he had been working for Dundas Chemical Company (Mosspark) Limited at its site at Omoa Works in Newarthill for around two years.

The company operates a large rendering plant that processes animal waste and food industry waste to produce proteins, fats and oils used in the oleo chemical, fuel, and feed industries. As a result of this process, the water tank and vickery would need occasional cleaning. The process water tank is shown in the image below:

It was during a nightshift that the man had been instructed to undertake cleaning duties on the process water tank, the vickery and the walls and floors in that area. The company provided pressure washers as well as a steam hose for cleaning down difficult areas where there may be tallow or other animal residues.

The steam hose was heavy and cumbersome to manoeuvre, with the uninsulated nozzle also becoming hot.. The man and a colleague therefore took it in turns to carry out the steam hose task.

After a period of time they stopped to have a break. While his colleague then went on to carry out other duties, the 23-year-old proceeded to finish the cleaning on his own.

He did this with the aid of a small cherry picker – attaching the steam hose to its basket. After the basket had been raised to the required height, the steam hose and nozzle spun round and steam began flowing into the cherry picker basket directly at him. He quickly turned his back to prevent his face being burned, while manipulating the nozzle of the hose away from him and lowering the basket of the cherry picker, at which point he was then able to run through to one of the deluge showers to cool his burn injuries. He was taken to hospital with steam burns to several parts of his body, which have left scars to this day.

The vickery at the site

An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the nozzle fitted to the steam hose was unsafe as it did not have a trigger or other mechanism fitted to allow the operator to start or stop the flow out of the nozzle at the point of operation. It also found that the mixing valve and set-up for supplying hot water for cleaning purposes was not maintained in an efficient working order or in good repair. Supervisors at the site were aware that the mixing valve was passing steam, however no action was taken to investigate the issue or prevent it from happening..

HSE inspectors also found the maintenance and engineering team had no sound engineering understanding of the risks involved when setting up such a washdown system and how to mitigate or control those risks. The company provided information to HSE that there were no records associated with the maintenance of the valve, hose or nozzle.

Dundas Chemical Company (Mosspark) Limited, of Mosspark, Brasswell, Dumfries, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £100,000 at Hamilton Sheriff Court on 18 August 2025.

HSE inspector Ashley Fallis said: “Had a safe system of work been in place then this incident would not have happened.“The lack of appropriate risk assessment, method statements, training and supervision for both the maintenance team who installed the valve, and the operators tasked with using the system, led to a situation where those involved were unaware of risks or simple control measures.

“This catalogue of failures resulted in a young man sustaining very serious burns, to which he still bears the scars to this day.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to protect their employees.”

See the HSE link

General Introduction to the EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230

The EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 is the new legal framework governing the design, manufacture, and placing on the market of machinery within the European Union. It replaces the former Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and is intended to address technological developments such as digitalization, automation, artificial intelligence, and connected machinery.

The Machinery Regulation becomes fully enforced from 20 January 2027.

Objectives of the Regulation

In addition to provide legal certainty and consistent requirements across all EU Member States and facilitate the free movement of machinery within the EU Single Market, the Machinery Regulation also aims to:

• Ensure a higher level of health and safety protection for users of machinery.
• Address new risks arising from software, AI, cybersecurity, and connected products.

Scope

The Regulation covers machinery and related products as follows placed on the EU market or put into service within the EU,

• Safety components
• Partly completed machinery
• Removable mechanical transmission devices
• Lifting accessories
• Chains, ropes, and webbing used for lifting

Major differences

The new legal framework changes from the Machinery Directive to Regulation which means that the Regulation shall be directly applicable to all EU members rather than to be concerted to national regulations before implementation. The Regulation defines some new requirements relating to:

1. Digital Documentation

Manufacturers may provide instructions and technical documentation in digital form, subject to certain conditions rather than the hard copy only.

2. High-risk Machinery

The Regulation defines high-risk machinery in its Annex I which previously were included in the Annex IV in the Machinery Directive. However, the Regulation categorized the machineries into two groups, e.g. Group A and Group B. Whare as the Group A machinery require enhanced conformity assessment procedures involving notified bodies.

3. Additional Risks

The Annex 3 of the Regulations require the follow risks shall be evaluation if these risks are related to the safety function of a machine:

• Cybersecurity
  Machinery must be protected against malicious actions that could affect safety functions.
• Artificial Intelligence
  Safety assessments must consider adaptive and self-learning systems where they impact machinery safety.
• Remote Updates
  Software modifications and updates that affect safety must be controlled and documented.

Compliance Steps

1. Complete conformity assessment procedure.
2. Issue an EU Declaration of Conformity.

Important message

Please feel free to contact us for any further information about the Machinery Regulation.

General Introduction to the New EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR 2024)