Plant had prohibition notices for safety breaches

TWO prohibition notices were served on Corden PharmaChem in the last two months following separate safety breaches at the plant.

On March 2 there was a chemical spillage from an over-pressurised drum held in a storage area.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) were called in to investigate the cause and it served a prohibition notice for that section on the company. Yesterday, it said that probe was nearing its conclusion.

Then on March 7, there was an apparent explosion in a 20ft-high storage tank to the rear of the plant, which again resulted in a chemical spillage.

On that occasion, while the tank contained mainly water-based waste material, emergency crews reported that hydrogen peroxide and sodium cyanide — extremely hazardous materials — were among the substances spilled.

The company said that incident resulted from the over-pressurisation of the vessel.

The HSA said it had happened in a different location in the plant and was not related to the previous emergency.

It said another prohibition notice was served on that process and its investigation into that episode was still ongoing.

There were no injuries as a result of either of the two previous incidents.

The HSA said it would not comment on either of those investigations until they were completed.

Yesterday, HSA inspectors were waiting for emergency services to finish examining the scene before the site is handed over to them for a detailed inspection.

On its website, Corden says its operation is dedicated to continuous Health and Safety improvements and that its site is certified to ISO 14001.

“To prevent accidents we carry out sophisticated Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) exercises and risk assessments of all chemicals and processes used at our plants,” it claims.

“These HAZOP studies and risk assessments include technical risk analysis, chemical evaluation and thermochemical analysis. The risk assessment results help us identify measures to be implemented to ensure safe operating conditions and minimise the impact on health or the environment.”

This is not the first major blaze in Little Island, a mainly commercial area. Last

September, firefighters took three hours to get a major blaze under control at an industrial warehouse where highly flammable chemicals were stored.

The Protim Abrasives warehouse, as well as an articulated truck parked inside, were destroyed in the blaze.

Last July there was a leak of methanol from the Pfizer plant.