41 Years Since Flixborough Disaster

Today marks 41 years since the Flixborough chemical disaster devastated North Lincolnshire.

28 workers died and 36 others were seriously injured when on 1 June 1974, the Nypro chemical plant near Scunthorpe exploded.

It was the biggest peace time explosion to have taken place since the Second World War. The entire site was almost completely destroyed and nearby properaties also badly damaged.

It happened as work took place on site to repair a large reactor.

Paul Mcbean was there and remembers the tragedy well. He told Viking FM:

"I was 16-years-old at the time and I there was just this massive explosion and I was actually on the bus at the time and the bus shook but nobody realised what it was and then we saw the smoke rising. I then heard people saying that it was the Nypro plant at Flixborough.

"Firemen were there for about a week and it took some time getting over because it devastated the village around it. But it also shattered a lot of shop windows in the Scunthorpe town.

"It was a big shock to everybody and especially the aftermath when people realised that 28 people had died there and then. It was actually on a Saturday but if it had been in the week, when the plant was fully manned up and everyone was there it would have been massively worse than it was."

The disaster later led to calls for improvements to workplace health and safety.

Paul says a lot has changed since then:

"The year after we had the Queen Victoria explosion at the steelworks so within two years we had two major disasters. It sharpened a lot of people and the health and safety executive they did a big investigation and the findings that they came out with has certainly made plants a lot safer around the world."

Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin also remembers the tragedy well and says the local community will never get over what happened. He told Viking FM:

"I was at Hull University's halls of residence in Cottingham and I remember the windows shaking and of course we didn't know what that was at the time but it transpired that that was the explosion being felt many miles away. I remember after that being shocked and dismayed and our hearts went out to everyone directly affected.

"This disaster is still one of the worst industrial disasters that's occured in the United Kingdom and its reverberations still impact on the community that I serve. It's a reminder of how important it is to ensure that workplaces are safe and secure and that when they go to work, they come back.

"We recently had the Workers Memorial Commemoration where people from across workplaces were there to recognise the sacrifices those people who don't come home make and the fact that over the last 41 years we have made huge strides in health and safety at work.

"It was a significant employer at the time and a lot of families were directly affected and that impact carries on over time, it doesn't go away. That's why we have to continue to strive to make our workplaces as safe and secure as possible and that the events of that terrible day are not forgotten."