Factory owners charged

Owners of ICL factory to be prosecuted THE OWNERS of the factory involved in the Maryhill factory blasts are to face criminal charges. The Crown office confirmed last Friday that the owners of the factory are to be prosecuted over the explosion,which killed nine people in May 2004. Both the holding company ICL Plastics Ltd and manufacturing firm ICL Tech Ltd will face charges under health and safety legislation at the High Court.

The disaster was the worst of its type in Scotland since the Piper Alpha oil rig fire in 1988. Killing Five men and four women and injuring a further 40. Both firms will face allegations they failed to maintain pipes carrying hazardous gas or gases and failed in their duty to safeguard the health and safety of their employees and other people on the factory site. The Crown Office said the prosecution, under the 1974
Health and Safety Act, was being mounted after considering a report by the procurator fiscal in Glasgow.

The trial is expected to be held by the end of the year. Last week The Queen recognised the work of fire-fighters who were involved in the rescue attempt at the Stockline Plastics factory in Maryhill. Three Strathclyde Fire and Rescue workers were at Buckingham Palace to attend a reception honouring Britain's emergency workers and disaster response teams. Watch manager Colin McPhee and fire-fighter Maxine McQueer attended the incident, while Karen Wilson took the "major incident" call. The represented the 800 people who participated in the rescue attempt at the scene. Ms McQueer helped to rescue a worker trapped under a beam. She said: "We had to lift rubble and metal beams for half an hour to free one of the survivors." Mr MacPhee said: "We had to claw at the rubble with our bare hands." - West End News