Factory owners plead guilty to charges
Updated on 17 August 2007
A blast at a Glasgow factory which killed nine and injured 40 could have been prevented, the High Court in Glasgow has heard.
It was one of Scotland's worst industrial incidents in 30 years. Sixty employees were inside the Stockline factory when it exploded and left nine people dead. The tragedy was Scotland's worst workplace incident since Piper Alpha oil platform disaster in 1988.
In court, the families of those killed heard that the blast could, and should, have been prevented through proper maintenance. Marie Murray's husband Kenneth arrived for work that day, but four hours into his shift, he was dead.
It was eventually blamed on a gas pipe which had corroded leaking propane into the cellar of the factory which then ignited and caused the blast.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that the pipe should have been maintained and ICL Plastics Limited and ICL Tech, the owner of the factory, pleaded guilty to four charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Details of the blast
The explosion took place around midday on 11 May 2004 where 60 people were working in the four-storey building. The blast shook surrounding buildings in the Maryhill area and its force was such that it moved the walls of the 19th-century factory building which then caused the collapse, reducing the building to rubble.
Many workers were trapped and around 40 were seriously injured. Emergency services arrived shortly after at the scene - while people who were trapped and had been able to shout for help were being freed by local people who ran for help.
Eventually, 200 firefighters searched through the rubble in a bid to find survivors and rescue teams, who normally search for earthquake survivors around the world, were brought in.
Seven people were eventually rescued alive from the rubble, but nine workers lost their lives. The last body was recovered on 14 May 2004. The search lasted three days after the event before the site started to be cleared of rubble.
Company statement
In a statement, the company said it had accepted the evidence put to the court and added: "There are no adequate words to express our feeling of deep sadness, and the heartfelt sympathies of all within the companies are with the families who lost a loved one, and those who were injured.
"Our company has at all times closely co-operated with the Crown and the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and have attempted, wherever possible, to prevent witnesses from being inconvenienced by agreeing their evidence."
Family statement
Outside court, a statement was read out by Ian Tasker of the Scottish Trades Union Congress on behalf of the families of Annette Doyle, Peter Ferguson, Kenneth Murray, Tracey McErlane, Tim Smith and Ann Trench.
He said: "As we have heard today, ICL Plastics and ICL Tech Ltd have pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation - breaches that subsequently led to the needless death of our loved ones.
"Our lives have been on hold for the last three years and three months and we have finally found out what caused the deaths and how our loved ones died.
"However, no court case or penalty imposed by the courts will bring our families back or provide an explanation as to why they died; there is no explanation that could satisfactorily or rationally justify why nine individuals left their homes on the morning of May 11 2004, never to return again."
Guilty plea
The prospect of a plea of guilty had been made known to the families of the victims in confidence as soon as it was disclosed to the Crown, the High Court heard today.
Prosecutor Mr Stewart said: "They respected that confidence, and I have to ask them to show patience for a few days more before the full story can be told in open court."
Mr Stewart also paid tribute to the work of the prosecution team and the "professionalism and cooperation" shown by the defence.
In a brief statement, Paul McBride QC, defending, said the Crown was preparing a "full narrative" setting out the history of the companies involved.
Mr McBride said he was also aware the court would require to know the accounting positions of the two companies, ICL Plastics and ICL Tech, when it decided on culpability and the appropriate penalty. "That information is currently being prepared and I will give advance notice (to the court)," he said.
"It is now time for the concerns of the families to be taken into account and we continue to call for a wide reaching public inquiry that provides us with answers as to why these health and safety breaches occurred. We will be asking for a meeting with the Lord Advocate to make our views clear regarding what we expect from a public inquiry."Ian Tasker, Scottish Trades Union Congress
Inquiry appeal
The STUC statement went on to say: "For us, the process goes on and we would hope that the Lord Advocate will ensure that steps are taken to ensure that, for our sakes, any future inquiry will be held as soon as possible.
"This inquiry first and foremost needs to provide us with some of the answers as to why this happened and why so many individuals suffered significant injury.
"As we said, nothing can return our loved ones to us, nor restore the health of those seriously injured, both physically and psychologically.
"However, a wide public hearing can help to ensure that other families are far less likely to have to suffer in the way we have since May 2004."
