‘People Of Pembroke Need Answers’ Over Chevron Refinery Explosion
03/06/2011
A leading industrial accident lawyer has called on authorities to work quickly to establish the cause of a fatal explosion and fire at the Chevron Refinery in Pembroke.
Four contractors were tragically killed and another man is in hospital with serious injuries following the incident at the refinery in West Wales, with reports suggesting that the blast started in a 730 cubic metre storage tank.
Police have confirmed that they are working with the Health and Safety Executive to determine the cause of the incident and David Urpeth, national head of workplace injuries at Irwin Mitchell, has urged the authorities to work quickly to determine the deadly chain of events that led the explosion.
“Major industrial accidents like this have a devastating impact on workers and their families, and everyone in Pembroke will undoubtedly be seeking answers as to how this terrible and tragic incident came to occur,” said Mr Urpeth.
"It is absolutely vital that Chevron, HSE and other authorities work swiftly to determine what caused the explosion and subsequent fire and, more importantly, how it could have been prevented.
“They also need to provide reassurances over safety that the families of all of those employed at the site will undoubtedly now be seeking.
"The health and safety of workers must always be a fundamental priority for employers and ultimately it is vital that any conclusions from the investigation will hopefully prevent further workers at industrial sites from suffering in such a terrible manner."
Workplace injury specialists at Irwin Mitchell have acted for and continue to represent people and their families who have been hurt in explosions at work and other serious industrial accidents, notably helping 75 workers and residents who were injured in the 2001 explosion at the Killingholme refinery in their battle for justice.
The incident, which was the largest chemical disaster since Flixborough in 1974, occurred when over 170 tonnes of liquid petroleum gas caught fire. Conoco-Phillips, which owned the plant, was fined £1m for breaching health and safety regulations in relation to the explosion.
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