A Cumbria-based cellulose film packaging producer has been fined £200,000 after an employee died following exposure to harmful hydrogen sulphide gas.
On Christmas Eve 2021, Alexander Cole collapsed in a pump room at Futamura Chemical UK Ltd’s premises in Wigton, Cumbria. A delivery driver attempted to assist Cole, an employee at the packaging firm, but was also overcome by the gas.
Both men were rescued from the area, and the delivery driver quickly regained consciousness; however, tragically, Cole died in the hospital the following day. A subsequent inquest concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, hydrogen sulphide had contributed to his death.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Futamura Chemical (UK) Ltd failed to adequately assess and control the risk of gas build-up in site drainage systems.
This meant there was a risk that the gas could be released from the drains, putting people at risk of exposure.
HSE guidance states that employers must adequately risk assess and implement sufficient controls to reduce a person’s exposure to substances harmful to health to a level as low as is reasonably practicable.
Futamura Chemical UK Ltd, of Station Road, Wigton, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 6 January 2026.
After the hearing, Inspector Matthew Shepherd, commented: “This tragic case shows the importance of conducting a thorough and robust risk assessment to ensure that all risks are properly identified and managed.”
“Where companies use, or produce within their processes, substances harmful to health, it is vital that they have fully considered and controlled all pathways to exposure. Failure to do so can have terrible consequences.”
