Sonae have recently been fined for their negligent working practices which almost killed Ian Fairclough, one of the workers at the Toxic Plant. Mr Fairclough was knocked unconscious when he became caught up in machinery which was breaking down up to 4 times an hour with blockages. His injuries included three fractured ribs, a broken collar bone and a punctured lung, and by all accounts it seems the non unionised workers were asked by management to enter dangerous areas and were not properly trained in safety matters.

Mr Faircloughs Job was to keep the line running according to Sonae. Sonae report that he took 3 months off and is now working there again!. Lets hope he gets a good solicitor and sues them for a few hundred thousand.

Judge warns Sonae "Do not sacrifice safety for profit"

The court case was not publicised and was held in Knowsley Magistrates Court with District Judge Michael Morris overseeing the case. Sonae already sacrifice safety for profit as seen by the decision to build the factory right on top of residential areas. The Judge told the Court that 'It is important firms such as Sonae do not sacrifice safety for profits.' He went on to add "In this case, more care should be taken and more precautions put in place to ensure such accidents don't happen. Unfortunately, more accidents HAVE happened since this act of negligence, including a massive explosion which ripped the place apart and injured another Sonae Worker, plus the continuing effects the factory has on the local communities health. Sonae and others like them will always sacrifice safety for profits.

Sonae Fine is a Joke

Sonae were fined only £15,000 and also had to pay costs of £16,703, this is a total of £31,703. Sonae are alleged to lose £10,000 an hour on the Kirkby line when the line is down, so this fine is the equivalent of fining Sonae 3 hours pay for this incident. This is the equivalent of fining you or me perhaps £20, for almost killing someone. Justice? This is another example of the Law favoring Big Business. Sonae have barely been slapped on the hand for almost killing a worker. Perhaps Mr Fairclough should bear that in mind as he considers his next steps.

Public Meeting Thursday 20th Feb St Marks Church

Dr Diane Forrest of Knowsley Primary Care Trust and Neil Turner, the Chief Environmental Officer for Knowsley were supposedly going to tell us Sonae is actually a good thing at a poorly publicised public meeting recently. Kirkby Times missed the event, (shows you the level of political organisation in Kirkby) but we have contacted Knowsley against Toxic Sonae so that they can forward details in advance of any future meetings.The offer of building a web site also goes out to KATS.