It seems to be a genuine mistake and not caused by corner cutting or corruption. What they could see was maintained. What they couldn't see didn't exist to them.
It sounds like a medium sized company mainly based out of this one location. The heads of the company were probably workmates or even personal friends with the dead and injured. I imagine that goes a long way to explaining the humane response. Sadly as corporations grow in size and the social distance between workers and management grows, that humanity is commonly replaced with brutal, cold pragmatism and even malice.
Like others have said, it's refreshing to hear about a company not fighting tooth and nail to avoid being judged culpable and to avoid paying compensation. Seems like the people in charge were just as horrified as everyone else that that had happened.
They probably often visited the site and some of them likely worked in that building as well. They depended on it being safe for themselves as well. It is the best we could hope for a company to do when a disaster strikes. Kudos to them for doing basic decency. . .considering its so rare.
@@Erin-rg3dw : It sounds like safety procedures in a lot of companies to me - tick and flick exercises without proper thinking about what the risks might be. Corrosion of underground pipes is something as expected as the sun coming up each day. People get stuck on following written procedures and don't ask themselves "what could go wrong" because they think just following procedure is all that is required of them. I've worked in the mining industry, in which companies spend $millions on safety - but the accident rate and death numbers continue to outstrip all other industries, for the above reason. You can't drive accident rates towards zero with tick and flick and processes. You can only do it by inspiring everyone to think, imagine, and act. In short - yes, they certainly did cut corners through negligence. Thats' why they got fined.
@@keithammleter3824 "Well, improving the procedures is the role of the EHS department, not the workers..." That thing, you can hear it everywhere and that's where procedures fail. Sometimes we get procedures to follow that make no sense, or are very incomplete. It's everyone's job to make them better. Maybe they lacked in that regard. I suppose even in the mining industry you rarely saw a safety engineer in work areas without being dragged out of the office for an audit by higher management :p When companies manage safety like an excel sheet indicator, it never works. When they make it a real priority, it always works. But yes, it's always easier to put a checklist in place than change people's mindset towards working safely
@@ledoynier3694 : True. Another cause of accidents is companies employing external consultants to write safety training courses and safety procedures. This leads to things being written by people who know nothing about the particulars of the site, but think they do. For instance a company I worked for had some very large UPS systems for their mainframe computers. These had rooms full of lead acid battery banks - 400 volts and capable of supplying 500 kW for several hours. I and a few others were required to complete a battery safety course run by a training contractor. This turkey knew nothing about batteries, but he had gone to a public library and looked up safety aspects of batteries for laptop computers.
its amazing how a simple apology, acknowledging responsibility and wrong doing, can go a long way towards helping people move on from a tragedy you cause..
I don’t think it’s rare. It’s just that the ones who would accept blame don’t usually have these sorts of disasters in the first place, because they don’t skimp on safety procedures, training, and maintenance. The kind of sleazy companies who would refuse to accept responsibility for the accident are usually the ones who let conditions get bad enough for it to happen in the first place. So usually the only companies who would have to accept blame are the ones who are most likely to refuse to accept it.
@@michaelimbesi2314 so.... it's rare for a company to accept responsibility is what you're saying. I mean, in your own scenario the only corporations that could let a disaster like this happen are the ones who refuse to accept responsibility then obviously it would be a rare occurrence...
@crassgop okay, but that's not what we're calling rare. We're saying that the company taking responsibility in this case is rare, not whether or not the event itself is rare or not.
@@michaelimbesi2314 yes, the original comment said: "Finally a company that takes responsibility. It is so rare that anyone puts the truth above profits or avoiding punishment." It's pretty clear that they are talking about how rare it is for a company to take responsibility when something like this happens. They are not talking about whether these events in and of themselves are rare or not...
Your channel sets itself apart with your consideration and compassion for the victims by not sensationalizing the disasters. The Victoria Hall video is a prime example. And showing how health and safety measures have advanced to make sure disasters don’t happen again.
I've worked in security for around fifteen years and survived a major oil refinery explosion in my first year. Been working in hospitals now for close to a decade with a focus on emergency management and mass casualty responses (most of the regular training and programs went out the window with Covid with everyone getting tunnel vision and overstressed), and this channel is an eagerly anticipated ritual for me each week. Horrifically tragic warnings, but extremely inspiring and thought provoking at the same time. Thank you for continuing to make these!
I work in an oil refinery and buried pipes have become a safety concern for this exact reason. They are subject to corrosion due to moisture and temperature changes.
One of the more recent disasters I'd not heard of. As sad as it was that 9 people lost their lives, it was miraculous that the death toll wasn't higher considering the force of the explosion
Same here. I'm sure I would remember such a major disaster, all the more so since at the time I was reading the newspaper every day. Maybe it's a Mandela Effect...?
How old was you when this happened? I was 13yrs old and don't believe I ever watched the news or newspapers back then, hence why I can't remember it... I think 🤔
It had more coverage in Scotland, particularly Glasgow than the UK. I'm from just outside Glasgow but was Down in England working at the time and there wasn't alot of coverage at the time down there.
I was at school with a friend whose dad was killed in it too, It brought tears to my eyes too. Doesn't seem that long ago. So sad and completely avoidable 😭
I lived in maryhill at the time it was a surreal and shocking day, its next to a main route into glasgow city centre, so many people witnessed the accident and the aftermath. The bus i was on leaving the city centre that day passed by after the explosion and we didnt stop there everyone thought it was a bomb attack.
Closing in on that big 1M subs number! You must be pretty excited. I was a subscriber when you had less than 50,000. You have definitely earned your success. Anytime I hear that music if I’m just listening to a random RU-vid generated playlist I know exactly who it is and what to expect. Great job and congratulations on reaching that awesome milestone. It’s a little early but you’ll get there soon.
I hope Mr FH does a face reveal when he gets his RU-vid plaque. "On December 3rd, 2022, a postman arrived at my door. The ring of my doorbell set in motion a chain of events that would change my life forever. I had received a package which was 2kg, or 4.4lbs in weight"
This accident changed the LPG industry in the UK too. All industrial and commercial installations were updated over the next 15 years, whereas previously they'd have been grandfathered through any safety updates.
Buried pipes: A workmate told me a story that stunned him and his family. Their home had always suffered from raised heating bills. They thought it was simply their house and how it was built and accepted it. After 10 years of living in it they decided to get a new combi boiler installed. The engineers installing the new boiler spotted an issue and did some investigation. Seems the old radiator pipes went through some concrete flooring downstairs. The pipe had corroded and was slowly leaking hot radiator water under the floor and it was slowly draining away. Their old heating system had a self-leveling header tank in the loft and so any lost radiator water was refreshed with new from the water mains. My work mate and his family had been heating their garden outside with hot water from their radiators! Obviously repairs were carried out and bills became more affordable after that.
I used to live in a flat behind Stockline Plastics, even bought some products from them I think. During my second year of art school at Glasgow School of Art we visited them, and learned about the tragedy and paid tribute to those memorialised at the memorial garden. I knew most of the details about this tragedy, thank you for covering this and filling in the gaps for me, love your videos! 😊
Honestly, I think that of all the corporate companies that you have covered on this channel, I CL plastics seems to have been the most cooperative and understanding of bystanders emotions when it comes to having a tragedy on their work sites. They genuinely didn’t want to try and escape like most American corporations do. They completely understood what was wrong and completely took up all of the blame that was shot at them. We need more companies like this that genuinely understand that human lives are a valued thing in society
Yes, here in America these large companies have deep pockets that regularly line politicians coffers leading to unfair protections and cover ups. Just ridiculous how money generally lessens integrity
Its always so good to hear a company taking responsibility and showing remorse. The building of the memorial close by is also nice. It seems they were actually regretful and want to keep a reminder of their responsibilities while honoring those lost as well near by.
This is a great example of community response! I wish all disasters could be attended to like this! Also, the fact that the company took responsibility and also built a memorial is awesome! They might have had an accident, but at least they took care of it correctly. :-)
It's a rare occurrence that a tragedy like this is caused legitimately by forgetfulness and not deliberate ignorance of safety standards. The fact that the company immediately took responsibility proves that. Thank you for the video!
Massive props to the single ambulance team that was first on the scene. Despite the lacking manpower and equipment, their quick actions surely saved lives
They did a remarkable job, given that it wasn't an actual ambulance. A patient transport ambulance is little more than a mini bus, used for ferrying non critical patients between either their respective homes, or hospital to hospital. The fact that they took responsibility to set up triage and coordinate the initial response is incredible, and speaks volumes for their professionalism and character.
I remember sitting in traffic on the Kingston Bridge, seeing the huge fireball and a second or so later the noise of the explosion. My first thought was that the BBC were filming and someone was going to get "their baws booted" for effing up the special effects in such a dramatic way. Everyone sitting in the traffic were looking at each other in shock/disbelief/awe/amazement, no one had any idea what the fireball was all about. By the time I'd got as far as the Easterhouse turn off reports were starting to come over the radio. I saw several cars pull over onto the hard shoulder as those first reports came on air.
I've been watching this channel for nearly three years now, and can I just say it is SO surreal to watch something that happened so close to home. I've lived in Maryhill most of my life, and events like this are rare and thus long remembered. At least those that were responsible tried to do right by it, unlike some of the horror stories you hear about.
Unrelated suggestion: I don't know if you have covered the Granville train disaster which took place in Sydney, Australia in 1977, but if not, it might be worth your consideration. It's a pretty harrowing story and although there are already some documentaries about it on YT, I'm sure the unique FH style would greatly enhance the tale.
Being from Glasgow, seeing the destruction at the time as a kid and now seeing the story be told all these years later really choked me up a little bit. Thank you so much for covering this and taking the time at the end to name those lost on that day. 💙
Thank you for sharing this story. It was a heartbreaking day. My friends dad passed away in this tragedy and even nearly 20 years on, still can't believe it happened.
One ICL subsidiary made Plastic Riot shields/Hand/leg cuffs with a tazer element included....for export. There was a channel 4 documentary on it. Nasty gear
I seriously don't remember hearing about this disaster, especially odd as I'm from the UK! So tragic to hear YET another horrendous event that could have been totally avoided had better inspections, controls and practices been in place.
@@Cyphyxia Yea me too but I was in England at the time this happened and don't remember seeing it on any new coverage down there, just the odd headline.
I used to work for a large dairy company that had large spray dryers. The pipes that had to go underground, went through a tunnel that was about 20 feet high and 20 feet wide. Because we used carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen in our processes, some of us ( the site first aid crew and senior managers)were trained in the use of self contained breathing apparatus so we could do rescues or checks if there was a leak plus training on the shut off procedures for each gas. At least monthly I would do a walk through in full gear with gas monitors to check the various pipes along with a buddy for safety. As soon as I heard the gas pipes were buried, I went uh oh.....
I really appreciate the way you tell these stories. Straightforward, unbiased, and well-researched. Thanks for choosing to share these stories, they're tragic and messed up but fascinating and often times they're worth learning from.
I eagerly anticipate each new entry in this series - you are so thorough and I love how you frame and present all the details in disasters like this. Thanks for making t em! People will always be people and make mistakes, consciously or without intent, and its truly fascinating to see where small, overlooked processes could have prevented major catastrophe. Honestly, love to binge these, I learn so much about how various industries work!
I was wondering why I've never heard of this from my dad (who's a Glaswegian) so I looked at the date again and realised my younger sister was born 3 days later. He probably doesn't even remember it happening, himself
I vaguely remember seeing this on the news. It is good that the company accepted liability for the tragedy and afterwards set up a memorial garden to those who perished in a completely avoidable accident.
I remember that day well. I work a few miles away from where it happened and we all heard this massive bang. We couldn't begin to imagine what had caused it. Such a tragic event.
Many channels covering disasters, even in the suggested videos beneath this one, have similar content. I still never miss a video from Fascinating Horror because like this one where the company actually took responsibility for once, even when they don't the incidents are historic examples of how society at large learned from these mistakes and led to the safety measures we all rely upon today.
This happened around the corner from my in-laws, my fiancée’s grandfather was one of the first few people in amongst the rubble looking for survivors after being across at the newsagents down the street. God rest those who lost their lives that day 🏴💙
As always, you never fail to amaze! The story of Timothy Treadwill will be something I would love to see covered by you, and you are definitely fit to cover the sinking of the Titanic. Thanks for these awesome videos!
You like watching the same stuff over and over then? I mean Treadwell was done so well by Hertzog I dont see anything interesting by anyone else, no opposite perspectives or anything to add from what I can see. Same with Titanic. It is done to death...
@@Aerolandaircraft I didn't say that these were bad docs. Why not actually work though, instead of rehashing old stuff is my point. Titanic even has its own movie.. What could possibly be added to that story? Rhetorical ofc. Nothing, is the answer. I mean why not Hillsborough? Titanic videos are a channel blocker for me. "Do not recommend content from this channel" see.
I'm from Scotland and never heard of this tragedy, was very surprised. It goes to show no country is immune to these disasters no matter how developed.
I was growing up in Maryhill when this happened, can’t remember much of it but my dad went for a job there about a week before that happened and they said no, mad how life works
I always appreciate how you honor those who lost their lives. It's the least that can be done given the circumstances in most of these stories. They deserve to be remembered. Thanks for the great content!
I remember the day very well. I was running a pub about 3 miles away, and when the explosion happened everyone thought a bomb had gone off, as the "boom" was loud enough for us to hear clearly. Nobody knew what had happened for a while, but the thoughts of a terrorist attack were running high - a few customers even decided to forego their lunchtime drink and headed home before the news came through that it was an industrial explosion. A very surreal day indeed :(
I love your channel, I must say though it is strange seeing you report a disaster that happened a 10 minute walk from my house. I was a teenage when this happened and one of my parents worked in the community central halls and help with the rescue efforts. A very sad time for Maryhill. The memory garden is always tidy and has flower etc. Thank you for this video.
This was a particularly good one, and I appreciate that you mention that the company actually took responsibility and they built a memorial not that long after. I remember several of these were memorials if ever were only built decades later.
I'm so glad an ambulance was nearby to be able to help at the first sign of trouble! And those rescue dogs are so impressive! I had no idea some rescue dogs could sense people breathing like that. Amazing message at the end 👏
I'm early for once. And this genuinely surprised me to see the companies actually accepting the responsibility of the disaster instead of trying to brush it off.
There was a recent gas explosion in the UK similar to this wherein a house exploded due to the gas pipes leading to the house having not been changed since either the 1940s or the 1970s (can't remember the exact date). Makes me wonder just how many gas pipes there are out there that have not been maintained.
Patient Transport are actually the non-emergency branch of the Scottish Ambulance Service, which means their taking control and organising the response was a hugely impressive feat as they are not clinically trained above First Aid & Basic Life Support/AED use. The only emergency equipment they would carry is a first aid kit and Automated Defib (not sure if they’d even carry a Defib at the time) and radio. Their vehicles don’t have blue lights or sirens. Again for them to take control at a major incident and make it work was phenomenal work.
Suggestion: The Tasmanian "Tasman Bridge" disaster - drunk captain on a boat ploughs into the bridge, 9 dead, cars off the bridge.....lots to dive into.....
Although this is a horrible tragedy. I can't help but see a couple of amazing things about Glasgow. 1. The first emergency unit happened to be in the area. Although they didn't have all the materials they needed. They started triage & were able to coordinate everyone else showing up. That is amazing workers & kick ass training. 2. Most places would NOT spend money to make sure every family affected could be there for trail. That is awesome!!!!
I went there a few times to drop off drawings and paperwork and pick up custom made items. The staff were always friendly and everything seemed modern, clean and well maintained. One minute you're doing your job then "boom" - you're dead...scary
It's sadly been super rare in your videos that the company not was actually held accountable but both took responsibility *and* made actual improvements. Too bad it's still sadly typical that people had to die for improvements to be made in the first place, even if at least in this instance the deaths were genuine ignorance (of a stupid decision) rather than greed and/or malice.
My current home is less than a mile from this site, and I had no idea such a horrible disaster occured, and so recently. Reminds me of the Humberto Vidal explosion of 21st November 1996, though at least the guilty parties expressed regret and remorse for what they did, unlike in San Juan. The memorial garden was a lovely dedication, and thank you, *Fascinating Horror* for naming them all, giving them the recognition they deserve.
you always tell these sad stories with care for those it may affect when listening, excellent narrations of events as ever, thanks FH, I've enjoyed your work for a long time now and always look forward to your posts.
It's so shockingly surprising, unfortunately, but great to see a company actually do the right thing here; considering how with every other disaster I've seen your channel cover, the snakes and monsters in charge wriggle out of their culpability for the tragedies they cause through their negligence, carelessness and often criminal actions and practices! Good on this company for everything they did for their workers 💯🏆
Fair play to ICL for owning the problem. It's true that underground pipes should be inspected and those which cover industrial and domestic gas supplies are, but clearly private installations from those days when it was done didn't consider any future problems of corrosion. This one is compounded by the fact the elevation was done because of flooding; as we know, water doesn't do much for the integrity of metal pipes, so hiding the pipes in an area that is often waterlogged is asking for trouble.
Nobody should ever get blase about anything involving LPG, the stuff is astonishingly flammable. A concentration as low as 2% in a volume of air can be combustible. Thanks for another excellent video!
I am an inspector with the proper certifications to inspect that type of equipment. As soon as you said they buried piping with rubble and fill I knew exactly what happened.
In doing maintenance on anything, my first concern are areas out of sight/out of mind. Accidents happen, but the idea that no one considered the need for access points to these pipes is beyond me.
Something worth noting is that propane is odorless, the smell is added. In my province it is illegal to have a natural gas or propane line enter a building below grade as the wet soil can act as a filter and remove the smell. This would have made the leaked propane very hard to detect without a sensor
This incident is as remarkable as it is tragic. No attempt to shirk responsibility, which no doubt assisted greatly in facilitating a prompt and effective enquiry that resulted in sensible recommendations and penalties/damages quickly paid. A government service overseeing a rapid renovation so all interested members of the public could be accommodated. The outpouring of support, donations, and volunteer effort from across the country. A statement from the companies which certainly seemed to indicate that the directors really did feel awful about the injury and loss of life. A memorial constructed. I'm sure all of these things helped greatly to provide some sense of justice and closure to the loved ones of those who were lost or otherwise affected. Bravo Glasgow, bravo Scotland, and bravo FH for bringing it to my attention in your typically respectful style.
I used to live in Clarkston on the south side of Glasgow and in 1971 there was a major gas explosion which demolished a row of shops and killed 22 people, more than twice the number who died at Stockline. Maybe a subject for a future video? One big difference with Stockline was that unlike ICL Plastics the Scottish Gas Board, whose negligence caused the Clarkston disaster, did everything they could to avoid responsibility and pretty much got away with it.,
I am glad the companies owned up to their shortcomings which lead to this tragedy, and that is was not negligence or greed for once, but a simple oversight that I want to believe would have been properly dealt with if discovered before this incident occurred.
The production of this video is fantastic!!! I've been binge watching your videos and the growth of quality is amazing! Pat yourself on the back OP, this video is freaking amazing.
Topic suggestion: the 1987 L'Ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA that killed 28 construction workers and changed laws on lift slab construction. I can't find any videos such as yours on it, only old news/press footage. Lobe your videos!
I am teary eyed at both the sadness of the event and the joy over the corporate response. Though avoidable, had the pipes been inspected, this incident's root cause was not the usual greed and indifference for life.
I really love your content. I work in the H&S industry in the UK, and I really appreciate all the detail you go into. Your content is always interesting and you are always really respectful.
I do find it incredible that they never checked the integrity of those buried pipes over the decades, of course the reason is that they couldn't. So why didn't they later on re-run the pipes above ground so that they could be visually inspected?
Shocking thats all that died. Its so strange that this company took responsibility for something that didn't seem to be their fault while many times its so obvious and they refuse to do so.
In my experience of working in factories, safety inspectors do not talk to the people on the shop floor who could point out risks others had not thought of.
Kudos to you for once again finding a disaster I’d never heard of. I was also not aware of the dangers of burying pipes; I really feel like I learn new things from your channel.
Same here. Sitting in a 100-year old house with natural gas coming from the street via underground pipe. Maybe properties of LPG and natural gas are different. Strangely the gas company did come and replace the meter around this time and I honestly can't recall if they also dug up the front yard and replaced the underground gas pipe. (I do recall when it was dug up about a decade later for fibre-optic cable.)
