RWE Npower in Swindon has been fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £14,000 costs after a worker was injured by escaping compressed air.

The energy firm, based at the Windmill Hill business park, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after breaching health and safety law at Aberthaw Power Station.

A company spokesman said safety at the site was the ‘top priority’ and steps had been taken to ensure that no such breach of procedures could happen again.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that was on February 22, 2007, in the Vale of Glamorgan at Aberthaw Power Station, which is owned and managed by RWE Npower.

A contractor had a permit from RWE Npower to work on a compressed air system and believed it had been isolated, meaning it was no longer dangerous.

But when he opened the system, it was still charged and he received hand and arm injuries from the escaping compressed air.

RWE Npower of Whitehill Way, Swindon, pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was told to pay a £8,000 fine plus £14,000 costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Steve Curry said: “It was the responsibility of RWE Npower in this case to ensure that areas that they had declared as being safe to work in, were actually safe.

“There was a significant failing in those responsibilities on this occasion. The pressure in this particular system can reach around 80 pounds per square inch, and the contractor continued work having been provided with a permit, effectively confirming that the area where he was working had been isolated.

“Clearly his injuries demonstrate that this was not the case. Compressed air can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly and so the need for a safe system of working with it, is particularly important.”

A spokesman for RWE Npower said: “The safety of everyone on site at Aberthaw Power Station is our top priority so it is a sad day for the power station to face the court for this incident in 2007.

“The level of the fine is an indication that the judge felt this was at the lower end of the scale of seriousness in terms of health and safety breaches.

“This incident happened because of a chain of unfortunate events and we have learned lessons and already taken action to ensure that no such breach of safety procedures can happen again.

“Our sympathies are with Mr Goslett, who thankfully is now fully recovered.

“The safety of all power station staff, contractors and visitors should never be put at risk and the fact that the power station has won Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ gold medals in 2006, 2007 and 2009 is an indication of the high standards we have set ourselves.

“Sadly in this event those high standards were not achieved and we are sorry that this incident occurred. The incident has now been fully investigated and we shall act on the recommendations from that review.”