This is the terrifying moment that a scrap yard worker was turned into a human fireball as he drained fuel from underneath a van.
Lee Roberts, 33, from Wigan, was working in a pit underneath the van when an electric spark from a drill caused the fuel to burst into flames and set fire to his overalls.
Dramatic CCTV footage captured Mr Roberts running for his life and desperately trying to put out the inferno as it engulfed his legs.
He suffered 22 per cent burns to his hands, legs and nose and was put in a medically induced coma after the accident in 2010.
Mr Roberts has not been able to work since and lost his job at Douglas Valley Breakers in Coppull, Lancashire.
This week his former bosses Jason Miller and Stephen Strange were told to pay £40,000 for health and safety failings and £25,000 in costs.
Mr Roberts said: 'I still remember the noise of the petrol fumes igniting and a wave of blue flames engulfing the pit. The pain was instant and intense.
'They put me into an induced coma to stop the pain, and it was at least a couple of days later when I came around. When I woke up I could feel the pain immediately.
'Even now, more than three years later I still suffer flashbacks that cause me to wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
'I haven't been able to work since the accident and feel that I no longer want to be a car dismantler - the only trade I have ever known.'
Preston Crown Court heard that it was common practice for the company to remove engine and gear box oil from vehicles so they could be used for scrap.
To do this employees would puncture a hole in the fuel tank and allow the flammable liquid to drain into an open container.
The court heard that the fire grew rapidly because there was petrol in the pit.
Car body parts and upholstery also added to the fire which spread to the whole workshop area.
The company's bosses were brought to court in a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive, which inspected the site following the accident.
They pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, one breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and two breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector David Myrtle said: 'Lee suffered severe burns as a result of this incident but he was very lucky not to have been killed. Douglas Valley Breakers was guilty of several serious safety breaches.
'It failed to properly consider the risks its employees faced while removing fuel from vehicles, or to do anything about them. It was therefore almost inevitable that a worker would be badly burned in a fire.
'The company had the right equipment to do the job properly but instead it allowed workers to stand in a pit surrounded by fuel vapours where just one spark from electric equipment could start a fire.
'If the fuel had been removed in a well-ventilated area, or even outside, without any ignition sources nearby then the severe burns Lee suffered could have been avoided.
'Sadly, our investigation found the company’s overall attitude to health and safety was poor to say the least.'
Lee Roberts, 33, from Wigan, was working in a pit underneath the van when an electric spark from a drill caused the fuel to burst into flames and set fire to his overalls.
Dramatic CCTV footage captured Mr Roberts running for his life and desperately trying to put out the inferno as it engulfed his legs.
He suffered 22 per cent burns to his hands, legs and nose and was put in a medically induced coma after the accident in 2010.
Mr Roberts has not been able to work since and lost his job at Douglas Valley Breakers in Coppull, Lancashire.
This week his former bosses Jason Miller and Stephen Strange were told to pay £40,000 for health and safety failings and £25,000 in costs.
Mr Roberts said: 'I still remember the noise of the petrol fumes igniting and a wave of blue flames engulfing the pit. The pain was instant and intense.
'They put me into an induced coma to stop the pain, and it was at least a couple of days later when I came around. When I woke up I could feel the pain immediately.
'Even now, more than three years later I still suffer flashbacks that cause me to wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
'I haven't been able to work since the accident and feel that I no longer want to be a car dismantler - the only trade I have ever known.'
Preston Crown Court heard that it was common practice for the company to remove engine and gear box oil from vehicles so they could be used for scrap.
To do this employees would puncture a hole in the fuel tank and allow the flammable liquid to drain into an open container.
The court heard that the fire grew rapidly because there was petrol in the pit.
Car body parts and upholstery also added to the fire which spread to the whole workshop area.
The company's bosses were brought to court in a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive, which inspected the site following the accident.
They pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, one breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and two breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector David Myrtle said: 'Lee suffered severe burns as a result of this incident but he was very lucky not to have been killed. Douglas Valley Breakers was guilty of several serious safety breaches.
'It failed to properly consider the risks its employees faced while removing fuel from vehicles, or to do anything about them. It was therefore almost inevitable that a worker would be badly burned in a fire.
'The company had the right equipment to do the job properly but instead it allowed workers to stand in a pit surrounded by fuel vapours where just one spark from electric equipment could start a fire.
'If the fuel had been removed in a well-ventilated area, or even outside, without any ignition sources nearby then the severe burns Lee suffered could have been avoided.
'Sadly, our investigation found the company’s overall attitude to health and safety was poor to say the least.'
Source : DailyMail
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