A gas pipe fire at a steelworks has led to a second safety conviction in just over a month for Tata Steel.

Tata Steel UK Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Dangerous Substances and Explosives Atmospheres Regulations 2002 Act at Scunthorpe Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay over £30,000 in fines and costs.

The fire involved a gas pipe bursting into flames during the course of repair works, leaving two workers lucky to not be seriously injured or killed.

The gas leak was first detected by the company on 25 February 2009 in a pipe which supplied the steelworks’ central power station. Contractors were called to plug the gap using a bung and resin but were unable to carry out the work until the following day.

Tata measured carbon monoxide levels in the area and concluded this would be fine. By the following day however the breach had grown significantly to the size of a fist, leading contractors to elect to use a fabricated metal plate instead.

As they attempted to put the first screw in place the pipe ignited sending flames from the hole and leaving one of the men with superficial burns.

Emergency services supported Tata's on-site firefighters to tackle the blaze, protect other nearby pipes and supports, and prevent the situation escalating.

HSE inspector John Moran told SHP online that Tata failed to carry out a risk assessment, and that they should have isolated the gas and purged the pipe with nitrogen before work was carried out.

Inspector Moran said: “This was a serious incident and a very near miss for those involved. Thankfully, on this occasion, a full recovery from the injuries sustained was possible, but it could easily have resulted in a double fatality, and it is a matter of chance that it didn’t. This poorly managed repair was gambling with people's lives by putting them in positions of extreme risk.

“Those responsible for managing safety should not ignore dangerous occurrences of this nature. Even where serious injuries are avoided, the root cause of the near miss should be thoroughly investigated, understood, and appropriate action taken. By doing this industry can prevent unnecessary incidents where the outcome might not be so favourable for those involved.”

The firm was previously convicted in December of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 when part of a 300kg shutter fell on two workers.