Propane Gas (Storage) (Hansard, 12 December 1980)

§ Mr. Anthony Grant (Harrow, Central)

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise on the Adjournment a subject which is of profound concern to my constituents and, I believe, to many throughout the country.

Propane gas is an essential raw material for industry. Used properly, it is a vital commodity, but it is dangerous, because it can escape and it is highly explosive, toxic and inflammable.

Two months ago there was an appalling tragedy in Spain when propane gas exploded and 48 children were Killed and many more injured. Three weeks ago in my constituency, at the White friars glassworks, which was being dismantled, there was a leak in a propane gas container and it was necessary to evacuate more than 2,000 nearby residents.

I pay tribute to the remarkable work done by such bodies as the Salvation Army, the WRVS and the local authority emergency services in that crisis. It demonstrated the necessity of having adequate voluntary services and civil aid in this country' We in Harrow are only too veil aware of that necessity, because in 1952 the town was tie scene of probably the worst railway disaster in the country's history. However, I do not believe that many in Harrow expected that in a glassworks that had been in existence for most of the century there would be located something that was such an enormous potential hazard.

It is ironic that the hysterical public excitement engendered over the transport of nuclear waste—I raised that subject on the previous occasion that I had an Adjournment debate, and it emerged that the risks were far less than was suggested by some more hysterical utterances—yet we seem to be oblivious of the fact that there is stored and used daily in our midst less glamorous, but more dangerous, substances that could cause even greater loss of life.

I believe that propane gas is stored in thousands of places throughout the country. Some must be near residential areas that could face the same situation as arose in Harrow. It is vital that people know where they stand. The Government should alert them so that we can be prepared in case there is another error, human or otherwise, resulting in the risk of escape of this substance.

It is not only in industrial use that propane gas is a danger. I am indebted to a to member of my local authority, Councillor Peter Pitt, who, knowing that I was to initiate this debate and having a considerable professional knowledge of the subject, has drawn my attention to the fact that many caravan owners store their bottles of LPG in garages and that those who live in flats often bring the 1318 bottles into the flats, where they could explode. He points out that if the flats are built of precast elements, as Ronan Point was, structural collapse could occur.

My constituent, who is a surveyor, also says that in many boroughs the social service department provides LPG heaters. He says that in those circumstances it is vital that the dangers attendant upon their use should be known. There are two types of appliance, one with a safety valve and one without. The one without is the one that is Likely to explode. Councillor Pitt believes that regulations are necessary and thinks that building regulations might be more effective than the existing regulations. Those factors go beyond the industrial user into the ordinary home.

I should like to put certain points to my hon. and learned Friend the Minister. First, I called for a public inquiry into the Wealdstone Whitefriars episode. I still think that that would have been the best way to reassure my constituents. Instead, the Government said that the Factory Inspectorate began a full investigation the morning after the escape and that the results would be made available to those concerned. I am not certain who those concerned are, but I should like the results to be made available as speedily and as widely as possible. If anything, we should err on the side of making the results more public, because most people in Harrow are very, concerned about the matter. The more people can be reassured, the better.

Secondly, it is important to know where else in the country hazardous substances of this kind are stored. Where are other industries using propane gas located? Are new sites being built too near residential areas? For example, in Wealdstone new factories are being built in the same area. It is not surprising that those of my constituents who had to be evacuated on the night of 20 November should ask whether the new factories will use the same substance. Are we satisfied that such an incident will not happen again?

Thirdly, is my hon. and learned Friend satisfied that there are close enough links and co-operation between his Department, which has responsibility in this matter, and the Department of the Environment and local authorities when questions of planning permission arise? Is all information made available to local planning authorities before they grant consent for an industrial development? If the matter goes to appeal, does the Department know?

Is my hon. Friend satisfied that then; are close enough links and co-operation between his Department and the Ministry of Transport on the transport of propane gas and other dangerous substances? They have to be moved about, on rail or in enormous juggernauts. Only about two years ago there was an appalling disaster, also in Spain, as a result of the crash of a road tanker. I think that more than 200 people were killed. The transport of the substances by juggernauts is a matter of vital importance, and I should like to be assured that my hon. and learned Friend is in close touch with the Ministry of Transport on this aspect of the matter.

Fourthly, although we all recognise that it is necessary for these substances to be used in industry and that we cannot say they should be banned, because industry has to go on and we have to take certain risks, we must also recognise that human error will occur where human beings are engaged in industry. We must be satisfied about whether the regulations governing the use, storage and movement of these substances are sufficiently tight.

1319 I do not think that my hon. and learned Friend is entirely satisfied, and he drew attention to the fact in a written answer recently. In the course of it he said: There are some variations in the standards required by the existing legislation, and the legislation does not cover all work activities."—[Official Report, 28 November 1980; Vol. 994, c. 307–8.] As a result, the Health and Safety Executive, I believe, is looking into the matter and preparing updated regulations for highly flammable gases.

I hope that my hon. and learned Friend will proceed with this with all due speed so that we may all know that the regulations are being revised and brought up to date. May we also be assured that the maximum publicity will be given to the potential dangers, so that everyone engaged in industry of this nature or living near it is aware of the dangers and what steps to take and can work in cooperation with local authorities and organisations to see that adequate emergency procedures are available in the event of a potential disaster as a result of human error?

I beg my hon. and learned Friend and his Government colleagues, in conjunction with local authorities everywhere, to treat this matter as urgent and to do all that they possibly can to minimise the risk of human error in the use of these substances. If in this country we are to avoid a tragedy of quite horrifying proportions, this is essential.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Patrick Mayhew)

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, Central (Mr. Grant) on having secured this opportunity to discuss this very important matter on the Floor of the House.

I well understand that my hon. Friend's interest in the matter has been heightened greatly by the events which occurred in his constituency on 20 November this year at the White friars glass works, when a large number of people were evacuated from their homes as a result of a propane leak from a storage tank with a maximum capacity of 10 tonnes—quite a small tank as these tanks go. I welcome my hon. Friend's proper concern about the incident, which, I assure him, is shared fully by the Health and Safety Executive and by the Government. As my hon. Friend reminded the House, I have already replied to a written question which he asked about this matter at the earliest possible opportunity on behalf of his constituents.

Fortunately, the prompt action by the local emergency and voluntary services and other people concerned meant that the leak was not followed by fire or explosion and, happily, that no one was injured. I thank my hon. Friend for his generous tribute to the emergency and voluntary services. I endorse wholeheartedly what he said about the need for voluntary services especially to enable our communities to cope with the unexpected emergencies which unhappily befall us from time to time. I add my own tribute to that of my hon. Friend for their efficient action in this case.

Within a short time of the incident occurring, inspectors of factories were available on the site to give advice to the emergency services. After the incident, the tank was blanked off and subsequently emptied of every trace of gas. It was purged so that it no longer posed a hazard to people in the locality. As my hon. Friend is aware, the 1320 factory itself is in the process of closing down, and the tank is to be removed from the site. A thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident was put in hand promptly by the Factory Inspectorate, and this is still going on.

My hon. Friend also knows that the Health and Safety Executive has undertaken to make available to all interested parties the findings of its inquiries. As soon as they are available, I shall see that my hon. Friend receives a copy.

It is, however, clearly established that the tank in question was in the course of being decommissioned at the time of the incident, and the draining valve was, unfortunately, left in a loosened condition overnight. Approximately 4 tonnes of propane escaped in a relatively short time. I understand that there is no evidence to suggest that the escape arose from any failure of the tank or its associated fittings. That is an important, and to some extent a reassuring, point for my hon. Friend's constituents.

It would perhaps help if I briefly described the nature of propane gas and indicated the scale on which it is used today in this country. Liquefied petroleum gas, of which propane is a common form, has been in general use in the United Kingdom since the 1930s. The popularity of these gases has increased over the years to the point where annual consumption is now in excess of 1 million tonnes, of which about half is propane. I entirely agree with my hon. Friend that this is an essential raw material.

All such gases have the property that they liquefy readily under pressure and thereby enable a large volume of gas to be stored in a comparatively small space. They provide a clean fuel, relatively free from toxic effects. I should like at this point to correct the impression of my hon. Friend that these gases are toxic. They are not toxic, although in very heavy concentrations they can asphyxiate. They are now in widespread use in the United Kingdom in industrial, commercial and domestic premises. Properly stored, handled and employed, propane and other such gases are safe.

There are now about 30,000 fixed tanks for liquefied petroleum gas in use in the United Kingdom. My hon. Friend asked for notification of the areas where the gas is stored. He will appreciate, from that scale of use, that it would not be practical to give that notification when there are 30,000 such tanks.

Any liquefied petroleum gas is highly flammable, and consequently there is always some risk, however remote, of fire or explosion associated with the operation of plants using these gases. These hazards have, of course, been recognised for a very long time, and for this reason a great deal of detailed guidance has been published by the Health and Safety Executive and by other bodies interested in these matters. It could be said that the adoption of the guidance precautions by industry is the prime reason for the fact that there is no known case of a liquefied petroleum gas tank in the United Kingdom having violently ruptured with the consequential release under pressure of its contents. Only rarely has any significant leak of gas from such an installation occurred. That is reassuring when one sees it in the context of the very large number of installations involved and the many years during which they have been in use.

I should now like to turn—because my hon. Friend properly asked me to do so—to the enforcement of the relevant legislation. We have in this country a large body 1321 of health and safety legislation which we seek to keep up to date. The enforcement of such legislation at installations such as the storage tank at the Whitefriars glassworks falls mainly on the inspectorate under the jurisdiction of the Health and Safety Executive, whether it is the explosives inspectorates or the factory inspectorate, although local authorities may also have some duties in this field.

The Health and Safety Executive has set up a system to ensure effective liaison between itself and local authorities in matters concerned with health and safety legislation. A committee known as the health and safety/ local authority liaison committee now meets regularly, and the storage of LPG is one of the matters that it is considering. In addition, in each area of the Factory Inspectorate an inspector has been specially appointed to liaise with local authority of Seers on enforcement matters.

Installations such as this one in my hon. Friend's constituency fall to be inspected from time to time, and this installation was last inspected in November 1978. However, I emphasise that the incident with which we are concerned occurred during decommissioning the tank and lot during its normal use.

My hon. Friend asked me whether there were close enough links in planning matters between the Department of Employment, which answers for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive, and the Department of the Environment or local authorities. Policy or planning industrial developments is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Scotland. Questions relating to the siting of all industrial developments, including potentially hazardous installations and residential developments near such installations, are for local authorities to decide, but it is the practice for local planning authorities to ask the Health and Safety Executive for an appraisal of risk at sites where certain specified activities are proposed to be carried on.

Those arrangements have operated satisfactorily for a number of years. Large-scale storage of LPG is one of the areas they cover. An appraisal of risk takes into account lot only the nature of the installation itself but also any special problems which it might present to the nearby community. Of course, it would not be realistic, bearing n mind the large number of tanks in use, to carry out an appraisal for every tank in which highly flammable gas is stored, even in relatively small quantities. It is right that attention should be centred on the tanks of larger capacity where the risk to the surrounding population is greatest.

This policy is in line with the requirements recommended by the advisory committee on major hazards. This committee was set up by the Health and Safety Commission towards the end of 1974 to consider the safety problems associated with large-scale industrial premises which conduct potentially hazardous operations. In its first report, published in September 1976, the committee recommended that regulations should be introduced requiring persons having control of certain types of installation to send details of their activities to the Health and Safety Executive.

In July 1978 a consultative document on the Hazardous Installations (Notification Survey) Regulations was issued by the Health and Safety Commission, embodying the committee's, recommendations. Broadly, the aim of the regulations will be to introduce a two-tier system of controls. The storage of large quantities of dangerous materials will be required to be notified to the Health and Safety Executive and, in cases involving exceptionally 1322 large inventories of hazardous materials, there will be a further requirement that all aspects of the construction and operation of the plant should be subjected to a detailed hazard survey.

I think it is significant that the advisory committee on major hazards, an independent expert committee, has recommended in the case of LPG that there should be notifications where storage is above 30 tonnes—the tank with which we are concerned has a maximum capacity of only 10 tonnes—and that a hazard survey should be carried out only if the quantity is more than 300 tonnes. Those notification and survey levels are also in line with those contained in the proposed EEC directive on major accident hazards.

The Health and Safety Commission, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, has reviewed the existing legislation for highly flammable liquids and gases. The commission takes the view, and the Government share it, that the present legislation is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. For example, there are variations in standards required by the existing regulations. Detailed requirements have not been introduced to cover all work activities. The commission has initiated work on the preparation of updated regulations for highly flammable gases, including propane, which will apply specific controls to flammable gases in all work situations.

The commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances is considering the matter. The commission will publish a consultative document setting out its proposals in due course. My hon. Friend asked for publicity for whatever regulations may be produced and publicity on the dangers that can attend improper use or storage of these substances and gases. The commission will note that suggestion. It is well used to securing wide circulation for its consultative documents, and it is important that it should.

As the proposed new regulations will apply across a wide range of activities, consultation is likely to take some time. My hon. Friend will note with interest, therefore, that the advisory committee has asked the Health and Safety Executive to produce interim guidance on a number of key aspects of the storage and use of liquid petroleum gas. This guidance should help to clarify the position with regard to employers' duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in the interim period before the new regulations are introduced. That is important. It is not saying that it must take its time and, therefore, not issue guidance until it is finished.

Until the interim guidance is available, inspectors will continue to use their existing powers under the Act. They include the right to impose improvement and prohibition notices and to institute legal proceedings in appropriate cases. The inspectorate has taken considerable care to ensure that all premises for which it is responsible are inspected in a regular and systematic way, placing due emphasis on premises and items of equipment which pose the greatest hazards.

My hon. Friend asked about the transport of gases. The responsibility for the conveyance of propane and other dangerous substances rests with the Minister of Transport. He is advised by the Health and Safety Executive. That answers my hon. Friend's question about the liaison between my Department and the Department of Transport.

Regulations for the labelling of road tankers for scheduled hazardous substances, including propane, were 1323 introduced in 1978. The second consultative document on proposals for general regulations for the conveyance of all dangerous substances in road tankers and tank containers was published earlier this year. Consideration of the comments on the document has been completed. Draft regulations will be submitted by the Health and Safety Executive to the commission in the new year.

I hope that my remarks will help to reassure my hon. Friend and his constituents, and others with equal interest in these important matters, that the commission and its executive are fully aware of the safety problems associated with the storage of liquefied petroleum gas, as are the 1324 Government. I hope that they will be reassured that the enforcement authorities already pay careful attention to the problems in the inspection of undertakings where such gases are stored. The extensive legislative changes which I have outlined and which the commission is pursuing should further ensure that such plants operate without undue risk to those who work on the sites or live nearby.

As my hon. Friend said, propane gas plays an essential part in our industrial society. We all have an obligation to ensure that it plays that part without subjecting our fellow citizens to unnecessary risk. That we are determined to ensure.