The Star Friday 8 July 2011
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent visited the Sterecycle plant on Sheffield Road, Templeborough, Rotherham, to see how the company had got back on its feet after it reopened in April.
Sterecycle worker Michael Whinfrey, aged 42, died after an explosion at the plant on January 11.
The blast is thought to have been caused by a sudden loss of pressure following the failure of a pressure vessel used in the waste treatment process.
The Duke was given a tour of the facility by Sterecycle CEO Tom Shields.
Mr Shields said: “We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to host His Royal Highness and to show him around the facility.
“He was particularly interested in our Sterefibre, which is the clean biomass that our process recovers from the organic portion of the waste we treat.
“It’s a valuable product which can be used as a soil improver, and we will use it to generate clean energy in the future.”
Saturday 9 July 2011
Thursday 14 April 2011
Sterecycle blast plant back in operation
Rotheram Advertiser 7 April 2011
Sterecycle appointed a specialist in process safety, ABB Engineering, to carry out an internal investigation.
And the company says it has now complied with all Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stipulations and implemented the recommendations of safety specialists ABB.
A pressure vessel, which was not involved in the January 11 incident has been modified according to ABB's recommendations and the plant has officially resumed taking waste from the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) Waste Partnership.
Sterecycle says the second pressure vessel will be brought back into use over the coming weeks.
Sterecycle appointed a specialist in process safety, ABB Engineering, to carry out an internal investigation.
And the company says it has now complied with all Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stipulations and implemented the recommendations of safety specialists ABB.
A pressure vessel, which was not involved in the January 11 incident has been modified according to ABB's recommendations and the plant has officially resumed taking waste from the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) Waste Partnership.
Sterecycle says the second pressure vessel will be brought back into use over the coming weeks.
Blast probe continues
Rotheram Advertiser 22 March 2011
HEALTH and Safety officials are still investigating the blast at the Sterecycle waste recycling plant in Rotherham.
The plant was closed two months ago after a blast which killed worker Michael Winfrey and left his colleague Peter Davis seriously injured.
Sterecycle has said that it plans to restart waste treatment at the plant, in Sheffield Road, Templeborough, soon.
The company says it has met various requirements put on it after the explosion.
The blast was in one of two autoclave machines and Sterecycle has said it plans to restart operation using the undamaged unit and then bring the other into use after it has been repaired.
HEALTH and Safety officials are still investigating the blast at the Sterecycle waste recycling plant in Rotherham.
The plant was closed two months ago after a blast which killed worker Michael Winfrey and left his colleague Peter Davis seriously injured.
Sterecycle has said that it plans to restart waste treatment at the plant, in Sheffield Road, Templeborough, soon.
The company says it has met various requirements put on it after the explosion.
The blast was in one of two autoclave machines and Sterecycle has said it plans to restart operation using the undamaged unit and then bring the other into use after it has been repaired.
Friday 28 January 2011
HSE call for vigilance
Letsrecycle.com 27 January 2011
The Health and Safety Executive has stressed the responsibility of employers and those with a duty to ensure safety in the workplace to safeguard workers following a spate of incidents across the waste and recycling sector this month.
The HSE made the comments while outlining its ambitions for 2011, revealing that waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) would become an increased area of focus for its work.
The waste and recycling sector is traditionally seen as one of the most dangerous professions in terms of injuries and fatalities, although it managed to record seven deaths in 2009/10 compared the 12 to 16 usually recorded in the sector annually (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, despite this improved performance, 2011 has already seen two fatalities in the industry.
These include an explosion at the Sterecycle autoclave facility in Rotherham resulting in the death of an employee (see letsrecycle.com story) and a SITA UK refuse collection operative in Kent being fatally injured following an incident with a collection vehicle (see letsrecycle.com).
The HSE said it was unable to comment on specific incidents due to legal issues. However, a spokesman said: "The incidents earlier this year are a reminder of the health and safety responsibilities of duty-holders and employers. HSE will continue to work with industry through the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum to look at ways to prevent people being killed or injured."
The Health and Safety Executive has stressed the responsibility of employers and those with a duty to ensure safety in the workplace to safeguard workers following a spate of incidents across the waste and recycling sector this month.
The HSE made the comments while outlining its ambitions for 2011, revealing that waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) would become an increased area of focus for its work.
The waste and recycling sector is traditionally seen as one of the most dangerous professions in terms of injuries and fatalities, although it managed to record seven deaths in 2009/10 compared the 12 to 16 usually recorded in the sector annually (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, despite this improved performance, 2011 has already seen two fatalities in the industry.
These include an explosion at the Sterecycle autoclave facility in Rotherham resulting in the death of an employee (see letsrecycle.com story) and a SITA UK refuse collection operative in Kent being fatally injured following an incident with a collection vehicle (see letsrecycle.com).
The HSE said it was unable to comment on specific incidents due to legal issues. However, a spokesman said: "The incidents earlier this year are a reminder of the health and safety responsibilities of duty-holders and employers. HSE will continue to work with industry through the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum to look at ways to prevent people being killed or injured."
Funeral
Rotherham Advertiser 27 January 2011
Family and friends made a final farewell today to waste worker Michael Whinfrey, who was killed after an explosion ripped through a Rotherham waste plant.
Dozens of mourners gathered at Rotherham Crematorium today for the father-of-three’s funeral—while waste treatment work at the Sterecycle plant in Templeborough remained on hold following the fatal blast two weeks ago.
Mr Whinfrey, a 42-year-old site operator, from Wickersley, died at Leeds General Hospital after being airlifted following the explosion, which left best friend Peter Lindon Davis (51), with serious injuries in hospital.
Mr Davis was badly burned and is still recovering..
Family and friends made a final farewell today to waste worker Michael Whinfrey, who was killed after an explosion ripped through a Rotherham waste plant.
Dozens of mourners gathered at Rotherham Crematorium today for the father-of-three’s funeral—while waste treatment work at the Sterecycle plant in Templeborough remained on hold following the fatal blast two weeks ago.
Mr Whinfrey, a 42-year-old site operator, from Wickersley, died at Leeds General Hospital after being airlifted following the explosion, which left best friend Peter Lindon Davis (51), with serious injuries in hospital.
Mr Davis was badly burned and is still recovering..
Friday 14 January 2011
CCTV footage of explosion
Two videos on YouTube
The first has no sound but shows more time leading up to and immediately after the explosion
The second is shorter but includes sound
The first has no sound but shows more time leading up to and immediately after the explosion
The second is shorter but includes sound
Wednesday 12 January 2011
Council turns to Veolia after Sterecycle blast
letsrecycle.com 12 January 2011
Rotherham metropolitan borough council has today (January 12) revealed it is in talks to temporarily send material to Veolia's Sheffield incinerator after its waste treatment contractor Sterecycle's autoclave plant was closed by an explosion which left one man dead and another seriously injured.
Health and Safety Executive today said there was the potential for it to issue guidance in relation to autoclave technology following the incident. "If we do need to issue any guidance to people then we will do it," a spokesman said.
Rotherham metropolitan borough council has today (January 12) revealed it is in talks to temporarily send material to Veolia's Sheffield incinerator after its waste treatment contractor Sterecycle's autoclave plant was closed by an explosion which left one man dead and another seriously injured.
Health and Safety Executive today said there was the potential for it to issue guidance in relation to autoclave technology following the incident. "If we do need to issue any guidance to people then we will do it," a spokesman said.
Man killed is named
The Star 12 January 2011 (11:10am)
The man has been named as Michael Whinfrey from Wickersley, aged 42. He leaves a widow and three daughters.
Peter Lindon Davis was also injured and remains at the Northern General Hospital where his condition is serious but stable. He is being treated for "potentially life-changing, head and body injuries."
Eye witness accounts included:
"The explosion was absolutely massive," he said. "I've never heard anything like it - if I'd been any closer I wouldn't be here now. It blew a hole in the wall, and waste went all over the road. It was a complete mess.
"All the rubbish went onto the car park, and smashed some of the car windows," Craig added. "We don't know if there's been a backdraft or something like that, but it just blew up."
A worker at a nearby engineering firm told The Star: "We were all inside working at the time, and I came out just after the explosion happened. There was rubbish all over the road.
"I've heard it's a pressure malfunction, and it's exploded. It sounds like a tragic accident."
The man has been named as Michael Whinfrey from Wickersley, aged 42. He leaves a widow and three daughters.
Peter Lindon Davis was also injured and remains at the Northern General Hospital where his condition is serious but stable. He is being treated for "potentially life-changing, head and body injuries."
Eye witness accounts included:
"The explosion was absolutely massive," he said. "I've never heard anything like it - if I'd been any closer I wouldn't be here now. It blew a hole in the wall, and waste went all over the road. It was a complete mess.
"All the rubbish went onto the car park, and smashed some of the car windows," Craig added. "We don't know if there's been a backdraft or something like that, but it just blew up."
A worker at a nearby engineering firm told The Star: "We were all inside working at the time, and I came out just after the explosion happened. There was rubbish all over the road.
"I've heard it's a pressure malfunction, and it's exploded. It sounds like a tragic accident."
Valve or vessel failure
www.mrw.co.uk 12 January 2011 (approx 9 am).
According to media reports, Sterecycle has confirmed the cause of the explosion will be investigated, but it is thought there was a sudden loss of pressure due to the failure of one of the pressure valves used in the waste treatment process.
We now have some confusion. Was it a valve or vessel that exploded, or was it a valve that failed that led to a sudden loss of pressure that caused the vessel to fail?
According to media reports, Sterecycle has confirmed the cause of the explosion will be investigated, but it is thought there was a sudden loss of pressure due to the failure of one of the pressure valves used in the waste treatment process.
We now have some confusion. Was it a valve or vessel that exploded, or was it a valve that failed that led to a sudden loss of pressure that caused the vessel to fail?
Sterecycle process
Taken from the Sterecylce website on 12 January 2011
Sterecycle is a waste management business focused on recycling and green energy. We have our own patented technologies that are capable of recycling and recovering up to 80% of the typical household waste stream.
Since June 2008 Sterecycle been operating a full scale plant in Yorkshire that processes 100,000 tonnes per annum of waste. This is the World's 1st full scale commercial autoclave plant to treat residual household waste. The plant is processing "black-bag" waste from 3 local authorities under a contract for up to 10 years: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. Whilst autoclaving has been used for a number of years for sterilising small batches of medical waste, Sterecycle has pioneered its use at industrial scale and for recycling municipal solid waste. In addition, the facility uses Sterecycle’s own unique autoclaving system which is highly energy efficient and integrated with a green energy plant is self-sustaining with a beneficial carbon footprint. Sterecycle's technology is protected by a series of granted patents and patent applications.
Our business model is to build, own and operate waste recycling plants, processing residual waste as a substitute for landfill. Sterecycle is a well funded business, backed by blue chip investors including Goldman Sachs, Fidelity International and Impax Asset Management. Sterecycle currently has 55 full time employees and with further recycling plants will employ over 300 staff in 2013. We plan to have at least 6 plants operational by 2013 including in Yorkshire, Wales, London and Glasgow.
The Sterecycle process is 2 stage – sterilisation at temperature and pressure followed by mechanical separation.
The heart of the sterecycle® system is a series of interconnected sterecycle® autoclaves. These are pressure vessels similar to those used in hospitals to sterilise surgical instruments but are much larger and have unique patented characteristics. Unsorted household bagged waste is loaded directly into the vessels and heat is applied at around 130 degrees C. A combination of the steam and pressure raised internally and the rotation of the vessels results in:
(i) the organic fraction of the waste being broken down into a fibrous lignocellulosic biomass;
(ii) the non-organics being sterilised and steam cleaned;
(iii) the organics can now be easily separated from the non-organics; and
(iv) reduction in volume of the input waste material by 60/70 %
Sterecycle is a waste management business focused on recycling and green energy. We have our own patented technologies that are capable of recycling and recovering up to 80% of the typical household waste stream.
Since June 2008 Sterecycle been operating a full scale plant in Yorkshire that processes 100,000 tonnes per annum of waste. This is the World's 1st full scale commercial autoclave plant to treat residual household waste. The plant is processing "black-bag" waste from 3 local authorities under a contract for up to 10 years: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. Whilst autoclaving has been used for a number of years for sterilising small batches of medical waste, Sterecycle has pioneered its use at industrial scale and for recycling municipal solid waste. In addition, the facility uses Sterecycle’s own unique autoclaving system which is highly energy efficient and integrated with a green energy plant is self-sustaining with a beneficial carbon footprint. Sterecycle's technology is protected by a series of granted patents and patent applications.
Our business model is to build, own and operate waste recycling plants, processing residual waste as a substitute for landfill. Sterecycle is a well funded business, backed by blue chip investors including Goldman Sachs, Fidelity International and Impax Asset Management. Sterecycle currently has 55 full time employees and with further recycling plants will employ over 300 staff in 2013. We plan to have at least 6 plants operational by 2013 including in Yorkshire, Wales, London and Glasgow.
The Sterecycle process is 2 stage – sterilisation at temperature and pressure followed by mechanical separation.
The heart of the sterecycle® system is a series of interconnected sterecycle® autoclaves. These are pressure vessels similar to those used in hospitals to sterilise surgical instruments but are much larger and have unique patented characteristics. Unsorted household bagged waste is loaded directly into the vessels and heat is applied at around 130 degrees C. A combination of the steam and pressure raised internally and the rotation of the vessels results in:
(i) the organic fraction of the waste being broken down into a fibrous lignocellulosic biomass;
(ii) the non-organics being sterilised and steam cleaned;
(iii) the organics can now be easily separated from the non-organics; and
(iv) reduction in volume of the input waste material by 60/70 %
Extent of the damage
BBC website on 11 January 2011 at 21:27
Eyewitness Paul Barnfield told BBC Radio Sheffield he had been driving to work along Sheffield Road when he had seen part of a building "exploding out into the road".
"It blew all the side of the building out," he said. "Black debris was just spread across the road. Another 10 seconds and I'd have been in it."
Part of Sheffield Road was closed for nearly three hours.
Police said the explosion had also caused damage to cars parked across the road from the site.
Eyewitness Paul Barnfield told BBC Radio Sheffield he had been driving to work along Sheffield Road when he had seen part of a building "exploding out into the road".
"It blew all the side of the building out," he said. "Black debris was just spread across the road. Another 10 seconds and I'd have been in it."
Part of Sheffield Road was closed for nearly three hours.
Police said the explosion had also caused damage to cars parked across the road from the site.
Was it an incinerator?
According to the Press Association and repeated in Allvoices on 11 January 2011 "The explosion took place in an incinerator." I think they are wrong - it was an autoclave.
Man dies
South Yorkshire Police report at 7pm that "The 42-year-old Rotherham man airlifted to Leeds General Hospital this afternoon has now died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the industrial explosion at Sterecycle on Sheffield Road."
Second report
Letsrecycle.com reported the incident approximately 1 hour after The Star.
A statement released by South Yorkshire Police said: "We had a call come in about 2.40pm of a possible explosion at Sterecycle recycling business on Sheffield Road in Rotherham. It appears that a pressure valve has exploded and two people are described as ‘badly injured'."
** This should probably read pressure "vessel" not pressure "valve" **
A statement released by Sterecycle said there was a "sudden loss of pressure as a result of the failure of one of the pressure vessels used in the waste treatment process".
The company said there was some damage to the side of the building housing the pressure vessels and that the adjoining road, Sheffield Road, has been closed temporarily.
Sterecycle confirmed that two of the site operators had been "seriously injured" but said it had initiated its emergency procedures immediately and medical attention was provided as "quickly as possible". The two injured employees have been transferred to hospital.
Operations at the plant have been suspended and will remain so until a full investigation into the cause of the incident has been carried out.
Tom Shields, chief executive of Sterecycle, said "We clearly regret this incident and have advised the Health and Safety Executive. Our immediate priority is for the welfare of our employees who have been injured. Thereafter we will urgently investigate the causes of the incident and ensure that all necessary actions are taken."
A statement released by South Yorkshire Police said: "We had a call come in about 2.40pm of a possible explosion at Sterecycle recycling business on Sheffield Road in Rotherham. It appears that a pressure valve has exploded and two people are described as ‘badly injured'."
** This should probably read pressure "vessel" not pressure "valve" **
A statement released by Sterecycle said there was a "sudden loss of pressure as a result of the failure of one of the pressure vessels used in the waste treatment process".
The company said there was some damage to the side of the building housing the pressure vessels and that the adjoining road, Sheffield Road, has been closed temporarily.
Sterecycle confirmed that two of the site operators had been "seriously injured" but said it had initiated its emergency procedures immediately and medical attention was provided as "quickly as possible". The two injured employees have been transferred to hospital.
Operations at the plant have been suspended and will remain so until a full investigation into the cause of the incident has been carried out.
Tom Shields, chief executive of Sterecycle, said "We clearly regret this incident and have advised the Health and Safety Executive. Our immediate priority is for the welfare of our employees who have been injured. Thereafter we will urgently investigate the causes of the incident and ensure that all necessary actions are taken."
Initial report
The Star (Yorkshire) 11 January 2011 (4:23 pm)
Emergency services called to deal with a major explosion which ripped through a recycling plant in Sheffield - leaving two people seriously injured.
South Yorkshire Fire Service said the casualties, who have not yet been named, are believed to have been trapped after a pressure vessel exploded at Sterecycle on Sheffield Road, Tinsley.
The explosion was reported to South Yorkshire Police at 2.40pm and when emergency services arrived two people were trapped in the depot.
Firefighters were brought in to free them and paramedics and the air ambulance were also scrambled to the scene.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "The call came in at 2.40pm to report a possible explosion at Sterecycle - a recycling business.
"It appears a pressure vessel has exploded and two people have been badly injured.
Emergency services called to deal with a major explosion which ripped through a recycling plant in Sheffield - leaving two people seriously injured.
South Yorkshire Fire Service said the casualties, who have not yet been named, are believed to have been trapped after a pressure vessel exploded at Sterecycle on Sheffield Road, Tinsley.
The explosion was reported to South Yorkshire Police at 2.40pm and when emergency services arrived two people were trapped in the depot.
Firefighters were brought in to free them and paramedics and the air ambulance were also scrambled to the scene.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "The call came in at 2.40pm to report a possible explosion at Sterecycle - a recycling business.
"It appears a pressure vessel has exploded and two people have been badly injured.
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