A FIRM and its director have been fined after a sub-contractor had more than half of his body seriously burned during a botched boiler installation.

Daniel Clarke, a director of Pure Flame Solutions, based at Blue Barns Business Park in Ardleigh, was contracted to install and commission an oil-fired boiler in an outbuilding.

But a sub-contractor suffered severe burns when the weld on the boiler failed and released piping hot steam.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found Clarke carried out the installation in a way the safety critical elements – the pressure relief valve and expansion tank – could be isolated from the rest of the system, contrary to the manufacturers’ installation instructions.

He also failed to undertake a number of checks on the system, to ensure it was safe to commission.

The boiler had become over-pressurised, causing the failure of a weld on the heat exchanger, and allowing super-heated water to flash off as steam.

Pure Flame Solutions Limited admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,603 at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

Clarke himself also admitted breaching Section 3(1) (by virtue of Section 37) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

He was ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months and ordered to pay costs of £2,603.

The incident happened at a property in Shalford near Braintree in December 2016.

HSE inspector Jessica Churchyard said the incident could even have been fatal.

She said: “The contractor’s injuries were life-changing and he could have easily been killed.

“This serious incident could have been prevented had Daniel Clarke undertaken the necessary safety checks to ensure it was safe to commission the boiler.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”