Factory cleared after HSE inquiry

Blocks of flats have been built alongside the factory

The Health and Safety Executive carried out a three-month investigation at the Stockline Plastics factory in Glasgow.

The inquiry took place last year after an employee claimed his ill health was due to his working conditions.

The HSE made three visits and decided that his illness was "unlikely" to have been caused by the factory.

In 2000, the firm was ordered to ensure that all materials were properly checked under risk assessment procedures, the HSE has revealed.

The four-storey building in Grovepark Road, Maryhill, was destroyed by the blast shortly after 1200 BST.

The HSE said reports of an inspection in the last two months were incorrect, suggesting that this may have been carried out by council officers at an adjoining warehouse under the same management.

A spokesman said HSE officers had already met police and the procurator fiscal to discuss how the investigation into the cause would be carried out.

A specialist team of inspectors has been assembled which is waiting for the go-ahead from emergency services to proceed with onsite investigations.

Factory 'compliant'

Meanwhile, the Labour MP for Maryhill, Ann Mckechin, said the location of the factory complied with current planning policies.

She said the investigations were needed to find out the cause of the explosion, the level of inspection at the site and the lessons which had to be learned.

"There are also questions about planning laws. Clearly, as you can see, there's residential housing and shops within yards of the site," she said.

"Again, there are questions that need to be asked in the full inquiry as to what protection we need to offer both to workers themselves but also to the immediate community."

The FBU's executive council member for Scotland, John McDonald, said the union had raised similar concerns in the past.

"Within residential areas the planning authorities and Health and Safety Executive need to give due consideration to the risks to the general public as well as staff within the premises," he said.

He added that there were a number of factories in the city which could potentially pose hazards.

It is thought that the Maryhill factory dated back to Victorian times, predating planning laws which came into effect in 1947.

Public consultation

Decisions on whether to give consent to certain types of development now rest with local planning authorities.

They base those decisions on the local plan for the area and government guidance on planning.

Decisions to allocate areas for industrial development are subject to public consultation.

The current trend is to encourage more mixed developments which allow people to work and access services in the area that they live.

This is seen as being a way of creating sustainable development and sustainable communities.