Footage showing man thrown off due to explosion. (Image: SWNS)
A company has been fined following a massive gas explosion captured on CCTV which sent a worker flying through the air – but left him miraculously unharmed.
Elliot Kirk had been building a fence on a farm in Wessington near Alfreton, Derby, when he was blown off his feet by the force of the blast.
Incredible footage shows the contactor scrambling to safety after the mechanical post knocker he was using struck an underground gas main.
Fire crews and Cadent engineers rushed to the scene to make the area safe as gas poured from the ruptured pipe leading to the evacuation of 30 homes.
The dramatic scenes on June 21, 2022 were captured on a resident’s security cameras who said Kirk walked away completely unscathed but a “little shook up”.
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Moments before the explosion occurred. (Image: SWNS)
Belper Skip Hire Limited and contractor Kirk have now both been fined for or health and safety breaches at Derbyshire Magistrates Court.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the blast led to more than two million kilogrammes of gas being released, putting homes nearby at risk of fire and explosion.
The court heard Kirk, of Nottingham, had been installing fencing around Belper Skip Hire Limited’s farm in Brackenfield Lane after being contracted by the company.
He was using a mechanical post knocker to install the fencing when the explosion occurred.
The HSE’s investigation found the company, based in Derby, was made aware of the location of the gas main.
They had also been advised by Cadent a month before the blast that no ground penetrating works were to be carried out in the vicinity.
However the company did not pass this information on to Kirk and allowed the work to continue.
Kirk failed to obtain underground service diagrams and “failed to take any other steps” to check if the gas main pipe was underneath the ground.
Belper Skip Hire Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £26,667 and ordered to pay £3,173 in costs.
Kirk pleaded guilty to breaching construction regulations, and was fined £800 and ordered to pay £3,173 in costs.
HSE inspector Sinead Martin said afterwards both Kirk and Belper Skip Hire “failed in their duties” and put Kirk and local residents at “serious risk”.
She added: “It is extremely fortunate that this incident did not result in serious injury; had the gas ignited, the resulting explosion would have been catastrophic.
“Prior to breaking ground, contractors must take suitable steps to check for the presence of underground services.
“Commercial clients have a duty to pass on all relevant pre-construction information within their possession to contractors to enable them to manage the risks.”
Married dad-of-two Alan Brown, 62, a company director, captured the shocking footage on his security cameras at the time.
Speaking previously, he said: “We were on holiday down in the Cotswolds at the time, I had arranged for both my lads to water the garden.
“My wife and I were coming out of John Lewis and one of my boys called and said he can’t water the garden because the entire street was blocked off.
“He said there were fire engines everywhere and there had been a gas explosion so we checked out of our hotel and bombed back home.
“My wife Kim’s new car was on the drive and covered in soil and stone. Luckily it wasn’t too badly damaged.
“I watched back the CCTV footage and just thought ‘Jesus Christ’. The noise of the blast was incredible.
“He’s a very lucky bloke. He was completely fine but obviously a little shook up. I can’t believe he walked away uninjured, it must have come as quite a shock.
“I’ve never known anything like it but luckily nobody was hurt.”