Member of Parliament for Macclesfield, David Rutley, has been updated on the progress being made on the investigation into the tragic explosion at Bosley last July, during a visit to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Laboratory.
David was also joined by Mike Suarez, the Chief Executive of Cheshire East Council, and Cllr Lesley Smetham, Cheshire East Councillor for the area including Bosley, on the visit to the Laboratory in Buxton, where physical evidence recovered from the Bosley site is being examined.
During the visit, David also met with Richard Judge, the Chief Executive of HSE, and other key members of the investigation team. The investigation is being carried out jointly by HSE, Cheshire Police and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The visit follows David’s recent meeting with the Minister responsible for HSE, Justin Tomlinson MP, at which the Minister gave his assurance that HSE’s investigations are always full and thorough and will seek to answer questions raised by those affected by the incident and local residents about the causes of the explosion.
David found that this was clearly the case as he learned about the wide-ranging facilities and expert staff employed by HSE at the Buxton site. These include the work of the Visual Presentation Services team who use various techniques including aerial drones for high resolution still and video photography, laser mapping and 3-D modelling. The visiting party was also given a tour of the engineering department where they were shown some of the advanced metallurgical analysis capabilities at the labs.
Dr Judge confirmed that good progress continues to be made. When the investigation has been completed, a report will be given to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will then determine if any criminal charges are to be made.
Speaking following the visit, David said, “I am very grateful to HSE for providing the opportunity to visit their Laboratory. It is good to see that positive progress is being made, and this is testament to the hard work and dedication of the investigation team, some of whom I was able to thank during the visit. It is important for all those who have been affected by this tragic event to know that a full and thorough investigation is underway.”