Waste control companies fined more than £200k
Two waste control companies have been fined after a major chemical fire in Crewe.
Greenway Environmental Ltd and waste shredder manufacturer, Pakawaste Ltd, were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 28th July and ordered to pay a total of £224,530.
The fine is in relation to an explosion and fire at Aztec Aerosols on the Gateway Industrial Estate on 4 June 2007.
The fire was caused by an explosion in aerosol-shredding equipment. More than 100 firefighters attended the scene.
The HSE said: “Many of the aerosols shot into the air and onto nearby roads after setting alight, and neighbouring buildings were damaged. A 200-metre exclusion zone was set up while fire crews brought the blaze under control, and explosions of drums and cylinders could be heard more than half a mile away.”
The investigation by the HSE found that the machine had not been designed to safely shred waste containers with residues of flammable liquids and gases. It should have been operated in a separate area away from any flammable substances.
Greenway Environmental was fined £37,500 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 and Pakawaste was fined £50,000, with costs of £87,030.
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