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A PUBLIC inquiry will be held into the fatal blast at the Stockline Plastics factory in Glasgow in May 2004, the Scottish and UK governments have announced.Scotland’s senior law officer, the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini QC, and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Peter Hain MP, said that the full remit and schedule of the inquiry will be finalised in the coming weeks.
Nine people died and many more were hurt when the factory, owned and operated by ICL Plastics Limited and ICL Tech Limited, was destroyed in an explosion caused by a leaking LPG gas pipe. The two companies were each fined £200,000 in August after admitting serious health and safety breaches.
The Lord Advocate said the inquiry would be set up jointly by the Scottish and UK governments under the Inquiries Act 2005. ‘In light of helpful discussions and the matters uncovered by the investigation team in the course of the preparation for the criminal trial, I concluded that the best outcome would be a full public inquiry which comprehensively investigates the events leading up to the tragic explosion, and the issues arising out of that,’ explained the Lord Advocate.
Mr Hain added that the inquiry is likely to examine, among other things, concerns over the qualifications of the pipe installers, the approach to risk assessment and the role of the Health and Safety Executive in regulating the premises prior to the incident.
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