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PHW · Other · 2026-05-14

Tetra Technologies UK Limited fined £350,000 after a rope access technician was injured by a ruptured chemical tank

Peterhead, Aberdeenshire · Peterhead Sheriff Court

What happened

A 700-tonne bolted steel tank holding calcium chloride at the company's Peterhead offshore supply base catastrophically ruptured. The tank was more than 30 years old and corrosion identified a decade earlier had never been remedied.

Injuries: A self-employed rope access technician sustained double spine and pelvis fractures, a lacerated liver, punctured lung, multiple rib fractures, a fractured sternum and wrist, and extensive chemical burns requiring skin grafts; he has not worked since.

The breach

Sections 3(1) and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The sentence

  • Fine: £350,000
HSE inspector

“The corrosion that caused this tank to fail had been identified a decade before it collapsed, yet no remedial action was taken.”

What would have prevented it

Known corrosion defects on load-bearing plant must be remediated, not left on record and ignored for years.

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Source: HSE press release, Company fined £350,000 after chemical tank collapse left worker with life-changing injuries