Michael Densmore, from Halewood, Merseyside, died of complications from a wound he sustained after his right foot slipped into a gutter containing the liquid chemical calcium hydroxide – more commonly known as ‘milk of lime’ – causing chemical and thermal burns.
The 37-year-old father of four was one of a number of scaffolders employed by Altrad NSG to build scaffolding at Tata’s Lostock Hall site.
On 30 November 2016, in the course of this work, Densmore stepped over a bed containing milk of lime – which was heated to around 90 degrees Celsius. His right foot slipped on an unsecured lid covering the chute, resulting in chemical and thermal burns to his leg and ankle.
He was airlifted to Whiston Hospital’s burn unit, where he received specialist treatment and surgery on December 8 and was released just over a week later. But on January 3, 2017, while at home, he suffered a bleed in his right leg and was taken to hospital following a 999 call, but tragically died.
An HSE investigation found there was no permit for hazardous work in a live chemical plant. Those responsible for ensuring the safety of personnel have given little proper thought to the risks involved.
As for the scaffolding team, there was no clearly understood plan to address these risks. Densmore only got a brief introduction when he started working on the site a few months ago. Significantly, he was not warned that a chemical product would flow through the plant and that the manhole covers were not properly sealed.
Tata employees were seen working on or near the chutes and there were no visible warning signs at the site.
It also found that there had been previous prosecutions of Tata Chemicals Europe over health and safety failures at Lostock Hall and nearby Winnington Lane.
Tata Chemicals Europe Limited, Northwich, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to safety breaches on Thursday and was fined £1.125 million and ordered to pay costs of £60,603.54.
HSE inspector Matt Lea said after the case: “This tragic death could have been avoided if Michael Densmore and his colleagues had been managed under a robust permit-to-work system for working in a live chemical plant containing corrosive chemicals that were heated to near boiling point.
“Michael should not have been put in this dangerous work situation and should have been warned about the dangers of crossing the chutes and that they were still in use.
“Companies should learn from this incident if they have employees or contractors working in a similar environment and be aware that the HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who do not meet the required standards.”
Michael alongside his sons Billy and Mikey
In a statement released by his family, Densmore was described as a “loving and wonderful role model” for his sons and two nieces.
“Our lives fell apart and have not been the same since that terrible day,” they said. “No one should have to lose someone they love to an accident at work.
“A mother should never give CPR to her own son and a partner should never tell their children that their dad is not coming home.
“Michael has missed out on so many life events over the past seven years, including his nieces having children of their own, his oldest son giving him a grandson, his youngest boys’ fellowship, to name a few.
“What hurts us the most is the fact that he will never be able to complete all the plans he had for his whole life, including marrying Helen.
“The trauma we have all suffered as a family cannot really be expressed in words. We used to be a small happy tight knit family who all lived life to the fullest, Michael was the leader and now we manage to get through each day.”
