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Vibroplant, Peterborough

Volume 178: debated on Monday 29 October 1990

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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the report on the explosives incident at Vibroplant, Peterborough, will be published; and if he will make a statement on the current position.

The report by the Health and Safety Executive of its investigation into the explosion on 22 March 1989 is published today. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.The HSE investigation into the incident concluded that the source of the fire and cause of the resulting explosion was a box of Cerium fusehead combs in transit to a local fireworks manufacturer. The combs were in unauthorised and unsafe packaging. On 11 April 1990, the company operating the vehicle was fined £250,000 at Peterborough Crown court.In line with the undertaking given at the time by my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Mr. Bottomley) the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances sub-committee considering the major hazard aspects of the transport of dangerous substances will study the report both for its general relevance to transport questions and its specific relevance to the safe transport of explosives.