Dundas Chemical Company (Mosspark) Limited has been fined £100,000 after a worker suffered serious steam burns while cleaning a process water tank at the company’s Omoa Works site in Newarthill. The incident, which occurred on 23 October 2019, left the 23-year-old employee permanently scarred and prompted an HSE investigation that identified multiple systemic failures.
What happened
During a night shift the injured worker was tasked with cleaning a process water tank and associated plant areas using a steam hose. The hose nozzle was uninsulated and the hose itself heavy and difficult to control. After a colleague left the area, the worker continued alone and used a cherry-picker basket to reach the required height. The steam hose then spun in the basket and discharged steam directly into the basket, causing immediate burns across the worker’s back and other parts of his body. He was able to reach a deluge shower and received hospital treatment; he continues to live with scarring.
HSE findings
The Health and Safety Executive found the steam cleaning equipment was unsafe. Key failures included the absence of a trigger or shut-off device on the nozzle, and a poorly maintained mixing valve that allowed steam to be delivered when hot water was intended. Inspectors also discovered a lack of maintenance records for the valve, hose and nozzle. Supervisors were reportedly aware the mixing valve was passing steam but took no action.
Crucially, HSE concluded that the maintenance and engineering teams lacked a sound engineering understanding of the risks posed by the washdown system or how to control them. No adequate risk assessments, method statements, training or supervision were in place for either the engineers who configured the system or the operators who used it.
Legal outcome
Dundas Chemical pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. On 18 August 2025 the company was fined £100,000 at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
HSE inspector Ashley Fallis commented: “Had a safe system of work been in place then this incident would not have happened. The lack of appropriate risk assessment, method statements, training and supervision… resulted in a young man sustaining very serious burns, to which he still bears the scars to this day. We will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to protect their employees.”
Lessons and recommendations
This case underlines the necessity of:
• robust risk assessments and documented safe systems of work for cleaning and washdown operations;
• correctly specified equipment with suitable start/stop controls and ergonomic handling;
• regular maintenance records and prompt investigation of known faults; and
• effective training and supervision, particularly where plant and hot-water/steam systems are used.
Conclusion
Employers must ensure that cleaning systems are engineered, maintained and managed so that users are not exposed to foreseeable harm. This prosecution serves as a stark reminder that failures in equipment specification, maintenance and oversight can have life-long consequences for workers and serious legal and financial repercussions for employers.
