Pyronix Limited fined £143,133 after worker sustained flash burns

Pyronix Limited was fined £143,133 (inc. costs) after a worker suffered flash burns to her face, neck, chest and both arms.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred with a process to apply Fluorocoat Thin Film Coating, which is a highly flammable substance.
• This involved dipping baskets of printed circuit boards into a tank containing the coating.
• The printed circuit boards already had a battery installed.
• There was no local exhaust ventilation and no prevention of static discharges.
• In April 2015 a worker was dipping baskets containing a variety of the PCBs into the tank. 
• As she removed a basket out of the tank, she saw a “burning cloud” go through the tank and was unable to avoid being burnt after the Fluorocoat had been ignited.

The HSE inspector commented:
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”