B&M slapped with £1m fine after man's body 'blew up to four times its normal size' in dramatic explosion

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Discount retailer B&M must cough up £1 million after an electrician was set on fire during an explosion - as his body "blew up to four times its normal size". Shahenur Rahman was working at the company's headquarters in Speke, Merseyside, before the industrial accident which led to him being in a coma for two weeks.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today (July 20) that Mr Rahman was left needing skin grafts and surgery to save one of his hands. As the explosion took place, a "Catherine wheel of fire spiralled through the air", while his body swelled.

The court heard B&M had been advised by Leep Utilities in June 2018 that maintenance work was required on the high voltage switchgear at its HQ, which would have resulted in power to the building being cut. The company hired two generators from supplier Aggreko to maintain power supply and "allow some core functions" to continue, the Liverpool Echo reports.

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Aggreko suggested Bolton-based Daker be contracted to connect these generators. Work was to take place on Saturday, September 22 2018, in two areas of the site known as the "Vault" and the "Qube".

Upon arrival in the early morning, Daker employees - including Mr Rahman, who is also known as Sham - discovered that cables intended for the Vault had instead been delivered to the Qube by Aggreko. Craig Morris, prosecuting on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive, said that this "made what was already a tight timescale to work under even tighter".

Shortly before 8am, Mr Rahman was working alongside Daker director David Moran and self-employed electrician Alan Haddock by the main switch panel of the Vault. Mr Haddock, who