The British weapons company GMK Limited must pay a fine of £800,000, plus £10,306 in costs, after a female employee suffered burns in January 2023 while removing pyrotechnic waste. According to the British health and safety regulator HSE, the company had her use an unapproved working method that had been used informally and without supervision for years.
What happened
On 10 January 2023, a 36-year-old GMK employee was working in a production building in Faldingworth, Lincolnshire (United Kingdom). Together with a colleague, she was removing waste pyrotechnic substance. For this they used a metal tray intended for destroying excess powder. Some of the substance came into contact with the hot tray, ignited unexpectedly and caused a large flash. The woman suffered burns to her hands, face and legs.
Findings
The HSE investigation exposed a series of failings. No suitable risk assessment and no safe system of work existed for the task. The disposal method used was not approved, but according to HSE it had been applied informally for years, without supervision or control measures.
The work also took place in a part of the building for which no licence applied. The employee was not given suitable personal protective equipment, although this might have prevented or limited the injury. An established method for waste disposal did exist, but it was not followed on the day of the incident. In addition, GMK acted in breach of its explosives licence: pyrotechnic articles were stored in areas without a licence.
GMK pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the employer’s general duty of care towards its employees, and regulation 7 of the Explosives Regulations 2014. Birmingham Magistrates’ Court imposed the fine on 2 October 2026.
Recommendations
No separate investigation report with formal recommendations has been made public; this article is based on reporting of the ruling. According to the HSE inspector, the injury could have been prevented with safe working methods and the right protective equipment. He called it very worrying that a leading company fell short on such basic points, and hopes that the large fine shows the sector that HSE will act when workers are not adequately protected.
The findings give rise to practical points of attention for employers working with explosive or pyrotechnic substances: a risk assessment before every non-routine task, an approved working method that is also actually enforced, supervision of informal routines, suitable protective equipment, and work and storage only in licensed areas. These are inferences from the findings, not recommendations from HSE itself.
Context
Regulation 7 of the British Explosives Regulations 2014 stipulates that no one may store explosives without a storage licence, and that the licence holder must comply with the conditions of that licence. Limited exceptions apply, for example for small quantities or short-term storage. The case shows that licence conditions and internal work instructions only protect people when they are followed in daily practice. That applies to every sector in which explosive or reactive substances are handled.
Source: Portsmouth News: Leading Fareham firearms firm GMK Ltd fined £800k after woman suffers burns to hands, face and legs, 5 October 2026
Additional research: Explosives Regulations 2014, regulation 7 (legislation.gov.uk)
