Company fined £600,000 after worker was burned by molten glass and hot water

A global bottle manufacturer was fined £600,000 after a worker was burned by molten glass and hot water spilling into the cab of the loading vehicle he was operating.

The accident took place at the O-I Glass facility in Alloa in February 2024.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the 32-year-old employee suffered 8% burns to his body but went on to make a full recovery.

HSE said the “avoidable ordeal” need not have happened if a protective door had been fitted to the vehicle.

The site employs around 500 people and is used for smelting glass into bottles.

As part of this process, rejected molten glass is poured into skips in the basement along with hot water.

On the day of the accident, the worker was operating a shovel loader, clearing the waste molten glass and hot water from the basement floor.

However, there was no protective door on the cab of the vehicle so some of the materiel spilled on the worker, who has not been named.

The company was fined £600,000 at Stirling Sheriff Court on September 23, after admitting breaching health and safety legislation.

HSE inspector Kathy Gostick said: “This was an avoidable ordeal for a young worker. It is sheer luck he has been able to recover from his serious injuries.

“This company’s employees worked in this environment with a safety critical part of the loader missing for a period of almost two years.

“Although the protective front door had been removed and reported to the on-site engineer, drivers had continued to work and operate the loader with it missing.

“Some operatives even described being struck or having footwear burnt by molten glass falling into the cab as a result.”

She continued: “When work equipment is being selected, its suitability for the environment it is going to be used in must be risk assessed.

“In this case the protective door was not suitable to protect against impacts from hot and molten glass and therefore was often broken and in the end never replaced. Had an appropriate door been selected and maintained in place this accident would not have occurred.”

A spokesman for the company said: “O-I Glass Limited appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court in relation to a health and safety matter at its Alloa facility.

“The company accepted responsibility and co-operated fully and openly with the investigating authorities and the court. Legal proceedings have now concluded.

“O-I acted swiftly in implementing enhanced measures and is committed to maintaining the highest safety standards at all times across its operations.”