Health and safety rules 'could have saved worker's life'

A jury has found a Polish worker who died in a workplace accident could have been saved had he been wearing the correct protective clothing as well as receiving suitable training from his employer.

Patrycjusz Handzel suffered 80 per cent burns after a furnace used to melt scrap metal got water in it and exploded.

The jury found his chances of survival from his injuries would have been much greater had he been wearing protective clothing.

In addition, the 12 laymen revealed Mr Handzel had not received sufficient induction training, no warning signs had been put up in the workplace and the company, Transition International, relied on verbal instructions as opposed to written ones.

Mr Handzel's father told the Sheffield Telegraph he hoped other employers would take steps to avoid similar accidents happening again.

"I want lessons to be taken from it because the conditions in the foundry were not good. I would like the owners of the companies to put in efforts to improve them so more lives are not taken," he said.

Meanwhile, a Polish subcontract worker has been hospitalised in Southampton after being hit by a falling girder at the Marchwood Power site.