Welder in gas blast drama

Colin Griffiths, 50, was working on a tank with two other men at Loks Plasma Services, Lower Philips Road, Blackburn, when the accident happened.

It is not known exactly what caused the explosion, which blew all three men off their feet at about 1.30pm yesterday.

Mr Griffiths, of Walnut Avenue, Haslingden, fell back on top of the three-foot-high metal tank and suffered leg and arm injuries and a cut to his lip. A Darwen ambulance crew was called to the Whitebirk Industrial Estate factory and strapped him to a spinal board. Blackburn firefighters helped lift him into the ambulance and he was taken to Blackburn Infirmary for treatment. His condition was today said to be stable. The other two workers also suffered slight injuries and were taken to the hospital by paramedics from Altham ambulance station. A spokesman for the ambulance service said: "At first we thought he had been welding on the roof and had fallen through it because the welding equipment was stuck in the hole in the roof. He was very lucky to escape. If he had been closer to the seat of the explosion, it could have been much more serious."

Leading firefighter Steve Roberts said he believed the explosion had happened within the compressed air tank and distorted the sides but it was impossible to know what had exploded. He said: "There were no fire or burn marks. It must have been an instantaneous explosion confined within the tank."

Mr Roberts said an analyst from Lancashire County Council had taken samples for testing. Works director Craig Harker said the company was investigating the accident, which is thought to have been caused by a build-up of gases underneath the table used for stainless steel cutting.

He said: "We have been in business for 19 years and have never had a major incident yet. This has been a shock for everybody."

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