Failings listed in blast verdict

The death of a Shropshire man following a massive boiler explosion was an accident, an inquest has ruled.

But a number of failings contributed to the catastrophic blast, which happened at British Sugar’s Allscott factory on March 2, 2003.

Robert Howe, of Wellington, died after a pipe inside an industrial boiler ruptured, resulting in the explosion. The 52-year-old was showered with red hot coals.

He died the following day from severe burns and multiple organ failure.

Yesterday in Telford, at the end of the five-day inquest, the jury delivered its verdict.

The jurors unanimously agreed that Mr Howe had died from the injuries he received in the explosion, which was caused by the rupture of a boiler tube.

The tube had been eroded by a soot blower, a piece of equipment inside the boiler.

The narrative verdict, recorded as part of an accidental death, stated four factors had exacerbated the accident.

Mr Howe’s daughter, Kristy Howe, 29, wept as the verdict was announced and cried “yes” as the failure to shut down the boiler was included as an exacerbating factor.

Miss Howe and her family have battled for five years to get answers about his death. They did not want to comment yesterday.

Speaking outside, Martin Oversall, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said inquiries into potential proceedings against any party were on-going.

He said: “The HSE liaised earlier with the family about this. This process will be completed as quickly as possible.”

He thanked coroner Mr Michael Gwynne and his officers for the “thorough investigation”.

British Sugar’s operations director Karl Carter, said: “Our thoughts are now with Mr Howe’s family and colleagues who have suffered a terrible loss and had to re-live the experiences they suffered five years ago.

“We have been disappointed that, having sought their expert guidance, Royal Sun Alliance (who inspected the boiler in 2002) had not alerted us to potential erosion issues.

“The evidence given has even brought the design safety of these boilers into question. Following this tragic accident, an extensive review of boiler house procedures at all of our sites has resulted in a number of changes to prevent a recurrence.”

The jury’s findings in the case

Four factors which exacerbated the accidental death of Mr Howe:

• Unrecognised and unreported effects of erosion to the boiler tubes.
• The design of the boiler and the “inevitable erosion” of one of its tubes.
• The lack of formal training and supervision regarding the installation of the soot blower lance.
• The failure to shut down the boiler on a precautionary basis to allow for an in-depth investigation into unexplained water loss.