SHOCKING footage shows the moment a major gas explosion launched a slurry tank into the air, leaving a worker with severe injuries and an amputated leg.
Tomasz Patek and Robert Tyrko were working on pipework for a large metal tank in Nottingham when sparks from their grinder triggered a massive explosion.
1
The dramatic video shows a huge explosion which causes the tanker to be launched into the air.
The blast engulfed the area in white smoke as the tank continued to fly in the air.
Around ten seconds passed before it came crashing back down, captured by the CCTV.
The powerful explosion left both workers hospitalised, with Robert needing to have his leg amputated and Tomasz suffering serious injuries to his back, head and torso.
It was “remarkable” that neither of them had died in the huge blast, experts revealed.
A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency found waste management company Bio-Dynamic (UK) Limited failed to ensure the health and safety of its employees.
The company was fined more than £300,000 and ordered to pay court costs of nearly £230,000 at a sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court.
In 2017, Robert and Tomasz were using a grinder to cut and replace pipework at the top of an 11-metre-high metal tank containing waste slurry, the court heard.
Sparks from the grinder ignited flammable gasses, triggering an explosion.
Neither of the workers were using a harness, which led to Tomasz being thrown from the mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) into the air before landing in the slurry on the ground near the tank.
I can’t help my wife in anything like I used to be able to
Robert Tyrko
He sustained serious injuries to his back, head and torso and was hospitalised for two months.
Tomasz’s injuries were so severe that he was not able to work for more than two years.
The former worker now suffers from pre and post-traumatic amnesia and has no memory of what happened.
Robert was also thrown in the air and landed back in the basket of the MEWP.
His leg had to be amputated as a result and remains wheelchair-bound as his treatment to receive a prosthesis continues.
Robert also suffered a fractured skull and a piece of metal lodged in his elbow, impacting his daily life.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCARS
In an emotional statement, the father revealed how his injuries have hindered his ability to assist at home as he once did and that he suffers from nightmares about the horrific blast.
“This whole situation is having a huge impact on my relationship,” Robert explained.
“I can’t help my wife in anything like I used to be able to.
“Magda is both wife and husband because all my responsibilities fell on her; along with the kids.
“Also my personality is explosive. I lose my patience very quickly.
“I attended appointments with a psychologist because I had nightmares that I was still having this accident.”
Tomasz shared how the explosion had left him with psychological scars.
“After the accident, I was unable to recover emotionally,” he said.
“I did not realise what had happened and was in deep shock.
“I could not cope with the pain. I could not accept an accident had happened to me.”
HSE inspector Richenda Dixon stated that the company had not adequately managed the health and safety risks.
Senior Environmental Crime Officer Iain Regan added that Bio Dynamic had failed to take action that could have prevented the incident.
“Sites which receive, treat or dispose of waste must be permitted to ensure that they minimise the risk to the environment or human health,” he said.
“Incidents such as the explosion at Bio Dynamic show why it is essential that such sites strictly comply with all the conditions of their environmental permit and take their environmental responsibilities seriously.
“The consequences of the company’s failure to comply with its environmental permit could have been fatal.
“As it is, two employees have been left with life-changing physical and mental injuries which continue to devastate their lives seven years on from this incident.”
