The ICL Inquiry report : explosion at Grovepark Mills, Maryhill, Glasgow, 11 May 2004

On Tuesday 11 May 2004, at about noon, an explosion occurred at Grovepark Mills, Maryhill, Glasgow which caused the substantial collapse of the former Mill building.

As a result, nine people lost their lives and 45 people were seriously injured or exposed to the risk of death or injury.

The investigation established that the explosion was caused by the ignition of an explosive atmosphere that had formed in the basement area of the building.

Excavations found that an underground pipe connecting an LPG storage tank to the LPG-fired oven was significantly corroded and this was aggravated by the weight of a piece of concrete that rested on it.

There was a crack in the underside of a right-angled bend which caused a considerable leak close to the entry point of the pipe into the basement.

It was not possible to determine for how long the gas had been leaking into the basement.

ICL Tech and ICL Plastics were each fined GBP 200,000 in court for health and safety failures, but the Inquiry also highlights inadequate risk appreciation and inspection by the Health and Safety Executive. The report examines the weaknesses of the regulatory regime that this disaster has exposed and sets out the general principles on which a proper safety regime for LPG should be based.

The Inquiry makes a number of key recommendations: an urgent programme of replacement of buried metallic pipework with polyethylene piping is recommended; a new safety regime for LPG is outlined; research into the safety of polyethylene piping is also necessary; and, here should be prompt and effective communication between all interested parties of all technical developments in matters of LPG safety.