Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Non-verbal communication
How to build trust
March/April 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Safety
  • Risk management
  • Work equipment
Catering and leisure
News

Restaurant fined £175,000 after oven blew up in chef’s face

Open-access content Tuesday 7th January 2020
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Sandwell Council prosecuted The Alachi International Restaurant in Cradley Heath after the chef was burned when the oven -- which was leaking gas and had no ignition switch -- exploded in his face.

The chef's clothing caught fire and he sustained burns to his face, ears, hands and arms which were treated in hospital.

When an engineer acting for the council's environmental health team checked the tandoor oven, he found it was being turned on and off using a set of pliers and had to be lit using a flaming piece of paper.

The pipework -- which was held together by foam and sticky tape -- was also leaking gas which ignited when the chef attempted to light it when he was injured in November 2017.

The court was told that former director Khalid Hussain and former manager Mahbubur Rahman Chowdhury failed to report the incident. The oven continued to be used until a third party reported the incident to the local authority two weeks later, prompting an immediate investigation, Sandwell Council told IOSH Magazine.

Safety checks found that the flame failure devices on other gas appliances in the restaurant's kitchen were either missing or had been bypassed.

The ignition buttons on a large cooker were being held in place with string and metal wire and a smaller cooker had a twisted gas pipe and the safety chains were missing. The large cooker also had missing burners and was condemned along with the tandoor.

Last month at Wolverhampton Crown Court, both the defendants and the company pleaded guilty to ten breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act, including that the oven was unsafe and that Gas Safe regulations had been breached.

Alachi Restaurant was fined a total of £175,000 and ordered to pay £4,300 towards costs.

Sentencing, Recorder Hegarty QC stated that the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence would suffice. However, he was persuaded to suspend the sentences for two years.

Each defendant was also ordered to pay £4,000 in costs and sentenced to a total of 38 months in prison for the various offences, to run concurrently for 10 months, suspended for two years. The defendants were also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and were disqualified from acting as director or management for five years. The restaurant is now under new ownership.

"Our checks found very dangerous conditions in the kitchen of this restaurant that resulted in one of the chefs being seriously injured," a spokesperson for Sandwell Council said. "It's only by luck that he wasn't killed, and that other people were not injured."

You may also be interested in...

Chip shop

 Chippy fined £75k after workers burned by spilled oil

Tuesday 21st January 2020
A fish and chip shop has been prosecuted after three staff members were burned by hot oil when they decided to change the fat during business hours.
Open-access content
Image credit | Geograph

 Worker's fingers amputated after hand crush

Friday 10th January 2020
A castings company has been ordered to pay £60,000 for safety breaches after a worker's hand was crushed in a machine at it site in Callywhite Lane, Dronfield (pictiured).
Open-access content
The table saw without the safety guard. Image credit | Gwynedd Council

 'Lax attitude to safety' lands campsite boss in court

Tuesday 21st January 2020
A caravan park owner has been prosecuted after a teenage employee cut off three of his fingers when they were pulled into an unguarded table saw.
Open-access content

 Two firms fined after metal panel hits worker

Monday 16th December 2019
A Londonderry farmer and building contractor have each been fined £10,000 after a metal shuttering panel fell on an employee.
Open-access content
Barrier

 Nightclub fined over death of reveller who fell 40ft

Thursday 30th January 2020
The manager of a nightclub where a man plunged 40ft to his death when he fell over a “low level” barrier has been prosecuted.
Open-access content
Image credit | HSE

 Worker killed within hours of starting job

Tuesday 7th January 2020
A vehicle recovery and repair company has been sentenced after a new worker suffered fatal crush injuries during maintenance work on the first day of his new job. 
Open-access content
Topics
Work equipment
Catering and leisure
News
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Health and Safety Improvement Manager

Leeds
£35000 - £50000 per annum
Reference
5452992

SHEQ Systems Advisor

Up to £40000.00 per annum + Car Allowance
Reference
5452988

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ