O’Keefe 18-year-old engulfed in fireball

Aaron Morby 14 years ago
Share

A teenager working for O’Keefe Construction suffered horrific burns to his legs at its depot in Sevenoaks, which left him in intensive care for six days.

The 18-year-old, who asked not to be named, inadvertently spilled paint thinner on his trousers as he worked in a depot shed spraypainting a lighting tower.

As he walked to find a change of clothes in a locker a gas burner heater ignited his trousers. He managed to run outside where a quick-thinking colleague hosed him down.

The worker suffered burns to both legs, his left arm and his hand and had to be treated in hospital for 16 days. Since then the young man has undergone skin grafts and has been unable to work for six months.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive after the fire incident in October 2009 found the spray shed had several health and safety failings.

O’Keefe Construction (Greenwich) pleaded guilty to breaching sections of the Health and Safety at Work Act at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court and was fined £20,000. It was ordered to pay costs of £6,329.

The HSE said that paint containers should have had their lids on and been stored in fire-resistant boxes.

The company should also have been aware that the mixing of paint and thinners in the shed would lead to a potentially explosive atmosphere, so a gas burner with an open flame should not have been used in the same space.

HSE investigators found O’Keefe had executed a risk assessment, but had not implemented the measures identified.

A further management action plan, dated three years after the original assessment, re-iterated these measures, but they had still not been put in place at the time of the incident.

Caroline Penwill, HSE Inspector, said: “The process of risk management involves assessing the risks that arise in the workplace and putting sensible health and safety measures in place to control them.

“In this case, the company had assessed the risks from paint spraying and had identified measures to control the risks, but had not put them in place. It is important that the findings of a risk assessment are acted upon. Had the company done so, then this terrible incident could have been prevented.”

Latest news

Goldbeck to build new £50m Cardiff County Hall

German-owned contractor vowing to be a "disrupter in the UK market"
4 hours ago

Laing O’Rourke chairman to step down

Ray O'Rourke to take over chair from Sir John Parker
17 hours ago

Farrans lands Leeds Bradford Airport phase 2 upgrade

Contractor takes follow-on refurb job after terminal extension
11 hours ago

ISG built Bristol housing block to be torn down

Contractor's collapse sinks Bristol flats remediation claim
20 hours ago

RSK revenue nears £2bn as losses soar to £132m

Refinancing last summer puts group on course for more growth this year
20 hours ago

Bridge design wind error adds £20m to construction costs

Completion of £148m Grantham Southern Relief Road delayed by a year
20 hours ago

Rayner pledges extra £350m for social house building

More than 3,000 homes could be built with cash injection
19 hours ago

City’s biggest retrofit tower scheme approved

Triple-fronted 70 Gracechurch Street building will rise to 33 storeys
2 days ago

Defibrillator saves worker’s life on Wates site

Machine operator saved after "dying" for 16 minutes on prison job
2 days ago

Funding deal for £125m Camden Roundhouse scheme

Developer Regal set to start 264-bed student scheme
2 days ago

Balfour leadership rejig to focus on three key growth sectors

Divisional CEO trio take lead roles for energy, defence and transport expansion
2 days ago

ABP bidders day for £150m Humber ports pipeline

Nine projects in the pipeline to support automotive and energy transition schemes
2 days ago

Hinkley Point C to create 3,000 jobs as work ramps up

Fitout surge to swell workforce to 15,000 in next 18 months
2 days ago

Hercules sells suction excavator division for £2.4m

Loss making arm sold by labour hire specialist
2 days ago

Foundations complete at HS2 Old Oak Common station

Station base completed using 76,000 cubic metres of concrete and 17,000 tonnes of reinforced steel
2 days ago

Bids invited for £175m consultancy framework

Fusion21 inviting consultants to join latest four-year deal
2 days ago

Regulator pledges to clear 122 project backlog by April

A third of applications failed to meet required standards says building safety regulator
3 days ago

Government opens bidding for new AI Growth Zones

Interest for sites in Scotland, Wales, the North East and North West
3 days ago

Vistry strikes deal for phase 3 of £1.2bn London estate rebuild

323-homes at giant Clapham Park scheme move to construction
3 days ago

Fire hits £31m student accommodation site

Blaze breaks out on Lancaster job where Bridgestone Construction is main contractor
4 days ago

Green light for £250m Salford data centre

Six acre plot to be transformed at Peel Waters site
3 days ago

Two in race for £269m HS2 people mover deal

Winner expected next year as hunt continues for infrastructure builder
3 days ago

M&E specialist J S Wright files administration notice

Employee-owned Midlands specialist was established 135 years ago
6 days ago

£90m funding release for quartet of road upgrades

Government green lights schemes to improve journey times in Wiltshire, Leeds, Essex and Buckinghamshire.
6 days ago

Another month of repairs at McAlpine problem panel hotel

Road closure causes chaos as wind-hit cladding needs fixing above
6 days ago

Skanska lands design role on £1.25bn steelworks

Skanska team to work alongside main contractor McAlpine on Port Talbot project
7 days ago

Construction boss jailed for double Covid loan claim

Two-and-a-half years for building fraudster
6 days ago

Bleak January for construction buyers

Latest bellwether survey shows output down and costs up
7 days ago

Starmer rips up rules to ease building of nuclear reactors

Industry backs push for small modular reactors to be built where needed
7 days ago

McAlpine tops January work league with steelworks win

Port Talbot steelworks job dominates January orders haul
7 days ago

Contractor services