Gas work 'unrecognisable' to industry standard

Work done on gas pipes was "unrecognisable" when compared to industry standards, a court has heard.

A health and safety case against gas company Island Energy (IE), represented by chief executive Graeme Millar, is being heard over the deaths of 10 residents at the Haut du Mont flats in St Helier following the blast on 10 December 2022.

Gas workers Lee Ward, 59, Neil Armstrong, 58, and John Wright, 60, have also each pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of gross negligence manslaughter.

The jury was shown a video of gas engineers demonstrating how the work should have been carried out on the day before the explosion, including capping off a main pipe and a pressure test being mentioned.

The residents who died included:

• Peter Bowler, 72
• Billy Marsden, 62
• Derek Ellis, 61
• Sylvia Ellis, 73
• Ken Ralph, 72
• Jane Ralph, 71
• Romeu De Almeida, 67
• Louise De Almeida, 64
• Raymond Brown, 71
• Kathy McGinness, 73, who lived in a building adjacent to Haut du Mont, was taken to hospital and died on 25 December 2022

Prosecuting, Advocate Simon Thomas, said the defendants did not follow the IE procedures, omitting "several important stages".

Thomas said only one inflatable bag device was used, as opposed to two on either side of a rider, due to the excavation site being too small and only leaving space for one bag.

He said this was because Armstrong and Wright had not identified a larger excavation site was necessary.

One bag was therefore used to block gas at the upstream pipe before the pipe was cut "with no protection" from the downstream pipe, which was why a second bag was always needed in accordance with IE procedure, Thomas said.

The court heard Wright said he told investigators he had intended to use two bags but Armstrong had told him to "just get one with it" which "made him annoyed", the prosecution said.

Thomas said IE had a system in place "designed for such a situation" where an employee was entitled to demand that work stopped if they had safety concerns.

The system said "in some situations, stopping the job may prevent an injury, property damage or even save a life".

He said Wright did not practise those rights.

Thomas added that Wright told investigators he used a single bag even though he knew this was not IE practice.

He cut into the gas pipe with the protection of one bag, which Thomas said could fail, and, if it did fail, gas would immediately be released.

The prosecution said Wright "took these risks" to appease Armstrong.

Thomas added that the pipe that had been cut that flowed only to Haut du Mont was "just left" with no cap placed on it.

When signing off on the work done, a completed job report was filled out which questioned if work had been carried out "in accordance with IEG Codes of Practice", and the pressure test applied box was left blank.

The prosecution said work had not been carried out in accordance with IE's procedures and that the work done had been "unrecognisable" in comparison.

"Corners were cut and procedures were ignored," the court heard

Thomas said that, although those deficiencies did not cause the explosion, it showed a disregard by Armstrong to follow proper procedures.

The prosecution said IE did not properly supervise what was going on and that there was no safe control of work system in place.

Following the work, which Armstrong what not present for, he said he went to Haut du Mont for about 20 minutes after 12:00 GMT.

He checked the emergency control valves in the gas cupboards to make sure gas had been successfully cut off from Haut du Mont.

The explosion's trigger is unknown.

The trial continues.

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