An apprentice who was turned into a 'human fireball' in a workplace explosion has secured a six-figure compensation settlement. Dwayne Bell, now 22, suffered third-degree burns and spent a week in an induced coma after the blast at a steel yard in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in March 2021.
Accident at steel yard
At the time of the incident, Bell was 17 and working as an apprentice at Qualfab Steel Ltd, where he was the 'youngest on site by 20 or 30 years'. He was burning rubbish in a metal bin when the explosion occurred. When wet wood failed to light, he used paint thinner, unaware of sparks beneath it.
'The next thing I knew, the world just turned orange. The sound was like a jet engine,' Bell said. 'I was standing in the middle of a massive flame. As soon as I felt the whoosh of heat, I shut my eyes as I didn't want to go blind. It was like a bomb exploding in my face.'
Injuries and recovery
Bell's face was blackened and his skin peeled away. He said the end of his nose 'melted' and he was rushed to Whiston Hospital. After three weeks in hospital, his mother cared for him at home. He later had three skin grafts and will need further surgery.
'I am lucky to be alive,' Bell said. 'It was so hot I feared I was going to be blinded; the heat was so intense. This was an accident waiting to happen. I'm trying to move on. But I'm living in a body that feels like a prison. This shouldn't have happened. I wasn't supervised, and no trainee should ever be put in that position.'
Legal settlement and future
Express Solicitors negotiated the six-figure settlement. Senior Associate Neil Sagar said: 'Dwayne has made a miraculous recovery from his life-changing injuries. But he still lives with the consequences of what happened every day, and his ongoing scars will affect his future career. Businesses need to make sure appropriate supervision and training are given to apprentices, especially when working with dangerous disposal methods.'
Bell is now an apprentice welder at another firm.
