THE WAY that chemicals were stored at the main production plant of Allied Colloids, one of the country's largest manufacturers of speciality chemicals, led to a massive explosion and fire, according to a Health and Safety Executive report, writes Malcolm Pithers.
Yesterday's report is critical of the company for storing incompatible chemicals together, and says emergency services were hampered by a lack of information on which chemicals were burning and on the toxicity of a smoke cloud released into the atmosphere. Although no one died in the blaze at Bradford, West Yorkshire, in July 1992, it caused ill-effects to dozens of people on and off-site, and serious environmental pollution. It also cost the company 10m in lost chemicals and new plant.
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