Business
Worker left with severe burns following molten glass spill
A global bottle manufacturer has been fined £600,000 after a worker at its Alloa plant sustained severe burns from molten glass and hot water.
The accident took place at the O-I Glass facility in Alloa while the worker was operating a loading vehicle in February 2024.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the 32-year-old employee suffered 8 per cent burns to his body but went on to make a full recovery.
HSE said the “avoidable ordeal” need not have happened if a protective door had been fitted to the vehicle.
The site employs around 500 people and is used for smelting glass into bottles.
As part of this process, rejected molten glass is poured into skips in the basement along with hot water.
On the day of the accident, the worker was operating a shovel loader, clearing the waste molten glass and hot water from the basement floor.
However, there was no protective door on the cab of the vehicle, so some of the materiel spilled on the worker, who has not been named.
The company was fined £600,000 at Stirling Sheriff Court on 23 September, after admitting breaching health and safety legislation.
HSE inspector Kathy Gostick said: “This was an avoidable ordeal for a young worker. It is sheer luck he has been able to recover from his serious injuries.
“This company’s employees worked in this environment with a safety-critical part of the loader missing for a period of almost two years.
“Although the protective front door had been removed and reported to the on-site engineer, drivers had continued to work and operate the loader with it missing.
“Some operatives even described being struck or having footwear burnt by molten glass falling into the cab as a result.”
She continued: “When work equipment is being selected, its suitability for the environment it is going to be used in must be risk assessed.
“In this case the protective door was not suitable to protect against impacts from hot and molten glass and therefore was often broken and in the end never replaced. Had an appropriate door been selected and maintained in place this accident would not have occurred.”
A spokesman for the company said: “O-I Glass Limited appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court in relation to a health and safety matter at its Alloa facility.
“The company accepted responsibility and co-operated fully and openly with the investigating authorities and the court. Legal proceedings have now concluded.
“O-I acted swiftly in implementing enhanced measures and is committed to maintaining the highest safety standards at all times across its operations.”
ChatGPT developer OpenAI has halted plans for a significant UK data centre project, citing high energy costs and regulatory challenges as barriers to investment.
The US technology giant had intended to establish its “Stargate” data centre initiative within a new artificial intelligence growth zone in the north-east of England.
The venture was slated for multiple sites, including Cobalt Park near Newcastle and Blyth.
However, OpenAI said the plans are now on hold, awaiting “the right conditions” to facilitate long-term infrastructure investment across the UK.
A spokesman for OpenAI said: “We see huge potential for the UK’s AI future. London is home to our largest international research hub, and we support the Government’s ambition to be an AI leader.
“AI compute is foundational to that goal – we continue to explore Stargate UK and will move forward when the right conditions such as regulation and the cost of energy enable long-term infrastructure investment.”
The reference to energy costs come at a time when prices are being pushed higher by the US and Israel’s war with Iran.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in March that the UK was one of the nations particularly exposed to soaring wholesale costs because of its reliance on gas-fired power, as opposed to sources such as nuclear and renewable energy.
Data centres are powered by very large amounts of energy so are more likely to be exposed to volatile prices.
OpenAI added: “In the meantime, we are investing in talent and expanding our local presence, while also delivering on the commitments under our MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the Government to adopt frontier AI in UK public services.”
Its Stargate project aims to invest billions of dollars into AI infrastructure in the US, with funding from OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle and MGX and partnering with tech giants including Nvidia and Microsoft.
Building it into the UK came as part of a landmark tech deal between Britain and the US, announced last September amid President Donald Trump’s second state visit.
The deal also included a 30 billion US dollar (£22.3 billion) pledge from Microsoft, the largest ever made by the company in the UK, to fund the expansion of Britain’s AI infrastructure.
Conservative MP and shadow science minister Ben Spencer said: “When global firms cite high energy costs and regulatory uncertainty as reasons to walk away, it tells you everything about the direction of travel.
“For too long, Labour have prioritised courting big tech headlines while neglecting our domestic start-ups, but also the fundamentals that actually attract investment at home.”
Importers are in line for tariff refunds. But whether everyone who paid the for the tariffs will get money back is a trickier question.
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