Carlsberg Supply Co. U.K., part of the Danish multinational brewer Carlsberg A/S, has been fined £3 million (approximately $3.65 million at current exchange rates) plus costs of £90,000 by a U.K. court after a contractor died and another was seriously injured following an ammonia gas leak at one of its breweries in 2016, the East Midlands’ Business Desk reported on June 29.
Birmingham Crown Court found the company had failed to put in place appropriate isolation controls to prevent exposure to ammonia before work started to remove a compressor from a refrigeration system at Carlsberg’s Northampton brewery in central England.
On Nov. 9, 2016, while the compressor was being removed, there was a large uncontrolled release of ammonia (GM June 22, 2018; Nov. 11, 2016).
David Chandler, 45, died, and David Beak, 57, was seriously injured. Both men were employees of sub-contractor Speedrite NE. Principal contractor for the project was Crowley Carbon U.K., which had appointed numerous contractors to assist in the work.
A further 22 people needed hospital treatment at the time of the accident (GM Nov. 11, 2016).