Carlsberg Brewery Fined £3m over Fatal Ammonia Leak in Northampton
A worker was killed during an ammonia leak at Carlsberg UK brewery in Northampton, resulting in a £3m fine.
On 9 November 2016, 45-year-old David Chandler from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, died after a refrigeration system leak at Carlsberg in Northampton.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced that it had discovered that Carlsberg did not have adequate safeguards in place.
The family of Mr. Chandler, in a statement, said his death was avoidable.
Carlsberg Supply Company UK Ltd, now known as CMBC Supply Ltd, was fined and ordered to pay £90,000 in costs after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches at magistrates in 2020.
Mr Beak, a colleague of Mr Chandler from Oldham, was severely injured and 20 other people, including emergency service personnel, required medical attention.
The victim’s name was Mr. Chandler, and he died after breathing in ammonia. He was married with two daughters.
The HSE said Carlsberg had neglected to put in place adequate isolation procedures before beginning work on a compressor removal from a refrigeration system.
Ammonia was released in large amounts while the compressor was being removed.
It took several days for the leak to be stopped and gas levels to return to a safe level, according to the HSE.
Samantha Wells, HSE principal inspector, stressed the need to adhere to industry standards when handling toxic and combustible materials.
A contractor working on a project to replace a compressor, Crowley Carbon UK Ltd., was also charged, but the firm was put into compulsory administration before court proceedings began.
News Credits: Carlsberg Fined £3m Over 2016 Fatal Ammonia Leak in Northampton – BBC News
Micro Weighing Solutions are the UKs leading manufacturers of weighing equipment for the brewing, distilling and soft drinks industry.
You may also like:
- Go-Ahead for Vast Glass-Bottle Factory in Wales
- Greener Batteries to Aid Decarbonisation in Beer Manufacturing
- Molson Coors Completes the Upgrade of Aspall Cyder Site
- Brewing, Distilling and Soft Drinks Industry Solutions