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Health & Safety

Lessons to be learned from Buncefield

The latest report by the Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board has recommended improvements in the design and operation of UK sites that store and transfer petroleum products.

The 2005 explosion at the Buncefield oil depot was caused by a faulty gauge that allowed thousands of gallons of unleaded petrol to be pumped into a full tank, and was reportedly the largest fire in Europe since World War II.

Lord Newton, chairman of the Investigation Board, said: “This report challenges the industry to substantially strengthen safety standards at sites handling large quantities of fuel”.

Newton also noted “striking similarities” between this report and that made by the US Chemical Safety Board on the failures that led to the fatal explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery.

The report received a warm welcome from Amicus, which said it expected all companies owning or operating fuel storage sites in the UK to implement all the recommendations in full.

Linda McCulloch, the union’s national officer, said: “The lessons of the Buncefield explosion and the 2005 Texas City explosion must be learnt. Amicus is dedicated to ensuring the lessons are not simply talked about, but are put into practice”.

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