A stray cigarette may have caused a powerful explosion at a work yard which led to a Scots OAP dying in hospital after being thrown 16ft. James Stevenson was found critically injured at JJL Groundworks near Dalrymple, East Ayrshire, in December 2019 after colleagues heard a "loud bang" at around 7am.
They rushed outside and found the 79-year-old lying on a pile of scrap metal near a container, known as his 'howff', which was on fire. The worker appeared to have burns on his face, a wound on his head and was covered in soot while his high-visibility vest had melted down the front of his chest.
He was treated at the scene by paramedics, before being airlifted to Glasgow Airport and then driven to the A&E department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. A Fatal Accident Inquiry was told that the ”well-regarded” pensioner had suffered burns to his face, hands and legs, multiple bone fractures as well as a collapsed lung.
He remained critically unwell over the following ten days in the Intensive Care Unit before his next of kin made the heartbreaking decision to move to end of life care. Mr Stevenson sadly passed away on December 30.
A probe into the circumstances of his death has been unable to determine the exact cause of the fire and explosion, however a discarded cigarette or electrical fault were deemed to be the most likely cause. Sheriff Mhari Mactaggart found that nothing could have been done to prevent the elderly man’s death due to it not being a “normal fire”.
She said: “Mr Stevenson was a long-standing, well-regarded employee of JJL Groundworks. His tasks in his later life were to open the yard each morning and close up at night. He was the first to arrive each morning and it seems his routine consisted of opening the yard gates, turning on the generator and opening his 'howff'.
“This was his workspace where he sheltered in inclement weather and where he took his lunch. It was equipped with such items as a microwave to allow him to heat his meals.
“There was evidence that he was a heavy smoker and that, despite the no smoking policy of the company, a concession was made that he would more than likely have smoked whilst at work. On the evening of 17 December 2019 he appears to have locked up as usual.
“He would not have padlocked the “howff”. At some point either during the night, or indeed before the “howff” was closed, a fire started.
“If the source of the fire was a faulty electrical item, then this must have occurred when there was a source of power to it, namely when the generator was switched on. This would suggest the fire started before the doors of the container were closed and the generator switched off. If the source of the fire was carelessly discarded smoking materials, then the fire could have started after the doors were closed.
“In either scenario the fire took hold but was a smouldering fire, deprived of sufficient oxygen to produce flames. The sudden influx of oxygen into the container when the door was opened by Mr Stevenson initiated a rapid, explosive reaction resulting in flames, intense heat and a pressure wave sufficient to cause severe injury to Mr Stevenson (a backdraft).
“The cause of this fire cannot be determined. Deliberate ignition has been ruled out. Accidental ignition due to electrical fault or discarded smoking material cannot be ruled out.
“There is no evidence to prefer one scenario over the other. I have taken the view that there are no other facts which are relevant to the circumstances of the death.
“Whilst there was evidence that the container had not been assessed for fire risk, nor was there staff training in place, none of that is relevant to the circumstances of this particular accident and to this particular death.
“This was not a “normal” fire. Nothing could have prepared Mr Stevenson, nor indeed anyone else, for the backdraft that occurred when he opened the container door. No training nor signage could have assisted anyone in dealing with that scenario.
“I join with the Crown and Ms Toner in extending our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Stevenson on their sad and tragic loss.”
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