There's No Such thing as "SAFE" Three Deaths at Enron's Teeside Power Station

There's No Such thing as "SAFE" Three Deaths at Enron's Teeside Power Station

Three tragic deaths followed a shattering explosion at the gas-turbine-drivenTeeside Power station on August 8, despite the fact that this is a state-of-the-art plant working to best HSE standards, and given the Gold Award for Occupational Health and Safety by the Royal Society for the Prevention of accidents.

Tim Underdown, chief executive of Enron, the American owners of the plant, could give no explanation for the cause of the explosion, though detailed studies are underway, by Enron itself, as well as by HSE the Police and the Fire service. The fact is that there is no such thing as 100% safety where industrial plants are concerned, even when they are operated by top-class companies doing their utmost to eliminate risk, under conditions reviewed by statutory bodies. The lesson is obvious regarding Scottish Power's plans to build a gas plant at Byley in Cheshire, featuring gas-turbine-driven compressors - and that is to stop the gas plant before the accidents can happen. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer

Deaths and Injuries at Buchan's if Gas Plant Blows

Deaths and Injuries at Buchan's if Gas Plant Blows

Neither Manweb's owner, Scottish Power, nor the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have bothered to inform the 150 staff at Buchan's Concrete works, King's Lane, Byley that their lives are at risk if Scottish Power's planned Gas Plant blows up. Some 5% of Buchan's staff could be killed, according to an HSE report prepared following planning applications put in by Scottish Power. Using standardised techniques including computer simulations, HSE have assessed various risk scenarios for the Gas Processing Plant at Byley including a major explosion - which HSE predict would kill 50% of all employees on the processing site and 1-5% of personnel at Buchan's works with further severe injuries and collateral damage.

It may come as news to Buchan's staff that a major multi-national company plans to put a possible disaster right next door, and that the risk of their deaths has been calmly calculated by a Government-appointed body without mentioning it to them. Is this the price to be paid by a rural community for the benefit of Scottish Power's shareholders? Perhaps not as both Congleton and Vale Royal Borough Councils have formally advised Cheshire County Council to say "no" to the planning applications when a decision is made on September 11th or later. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer,