Employees were transferring highly flammable toluene from a bulk container into a smaller drum ahead of the incident at Solvents With Safety Ltd at Plumtree Farm Industrial Estate on 16 June 2010.
They were attempting to fill the drum using a pipe from the container, however the pipe they used was too short. It meant dropping the liquid from the pipe into the drum, a process called 'splash filling' that is known to generate static electricity - a potential ignition source.
Doncaster Magistrates' Court heard (3 October) that the flash point of toluene is just 4 degrees. So on a "hot" June evening when the process took place, the toluene would have a flammable vapour over its surface.
The build up of static electricity in the drum is thought to have ignited the vapour and sparked a fire that quickly took hold and spread to other containers of flammable and dangerous solvent mixtures at the site, some of which exploded.
Seven workers were present at the time, but all managed to escape unharmed after a quick-thinking supervisor ordered them to evacuate the site and called the emergency services. The initial blaze was described as escalating to a raging inferno within minutes.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the 'splash fill' method was wholly inappropriate and posed a clear risk that wasn't properly assessed.
The court also heard that HSE had twice written to Solvents With Safety, in May 2006 and December 2007, to warn of the dangers of splash filling containers.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Reg 6(1) of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £6,860 in costs.
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