This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7483238.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Stockline public inquiry to begin Factory death blast probe begins
(1 day later)
The public inquiry into the Stockline factory blast begins later in Glasgow. A public inquiry into a factory explosion in Glasgow which killed nine people and injured 33 has begun.
It will be held in Maryhill Community Hall, close to the site of the factory which was operated by ICL Plastics Ltd, and is expected to last 12 weeks. The premises, operated by ICL Plastics Ltd, collapsed on 11 May 2004 after liquefied petroleum gas escaped from old pipe work.
Relatives of some of the nine people killed in the blast in 2004 said it was insensitive to hold the inquiry within yards of where their loved ones died. ICL Plastics and another firm, ICL Tech, were fined a total of £400,000 for breaching health and safety laws.
Oral evidence will be taken, but many witnesses will give written statements, which will be on the inquiry website. The inquiry, chaired by senior Scottish judge Lord Gill, will look into the facts and make recommendations.
Nine people died and 33 were hurt when the factory collapsed on 11 May, 2004. It is being held in the Maryhill Community Hall, close to the site of the factory, and is expected to last 12 weeks.
Liquefied petroleum gas, which escaped from old pipework, caused the blast. Relatives of some of those killed in the blast, which became known as the Stockline explosion, said it was insensitive to stage it within yards of the place where their loved ones died.
The inquiry, which will be hosted by the Lord Justice Clerk Lord Gill, has no power to determine civil or criminal liability. I want to know what happened that day and be able to obtain closure for me, my colleagues and of course family Sheena O'BrienDaughter of victim class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/7484951.stm">Stockline inquiry in video The inquiry has no power to determine civil or criminal liability, but Lord Gill, the Lord Justice Clerk, told BBC Scotland this would allow a "determined pursuit of the truth".
The community centre has been completely refurbished for the inquiry and every detail, including the timetable and transcripts of evidence, will be posted on the internet.
Separate rooms have been provided for bereaved families and survivors of the blast, to enable them to follow proceedings on TV screens.
Lord Gill said the inquiry would have a wide-ranging remit and that he was willing to hear from anyone who felt they had something relevant to say.
Lord Gill, Scotland's second most senior judge, will chair the inquiryLord Gill, Scotland's second most senior judge, will chair the inquiry
The first stage will consider the "factual narrative" which led to the tragedy. "The inquiry can concern itself with a very determined pursuit of the truth about what happened and what led up to it," he said.
The second stage, which will consider recommendations, is scheduled to start on 21 October. "I'm sure that's what the families, in particular, want to know."
ICL Plastics and ICL Tech were fined a total of £400,000 for health and safety breaches last year. And he defended the calling of the inquiry, adding: "It's not at all clear that everything came out at the prosecution and there's a very good reason for that.
The community centre has been completely refurbished for the inquiry. "Prosecutors were concerned with certain statutory offences to which the companies pled guilty.
Separate rooms have been provided for bereaved families and those who survived, to enable them to follow proceedings. "Therefore all the prosecution was concerned with were the facts relating to the commission of those offences."
Both rooms have plasma screens which will relay the activities in the Reid Hall and also any documents shown to witnesses. In Statements of Case submissions to the ICL inquiry, Sheena O'Brien, who was badly injured in the explosion and lost her father, wrote: "I want to know what happened that day and be able to obtain closure for me, my colleagues and of course family, through a fair inquiry."
Louise Smith, whose husband Tim was killed, told the inquiry team the void left in her family's lives was "indescribable".
She added: "Although nothing will return Tim to us, it is very important to us that lessons are learned and put into practice, that a constructive outcome is realised and the process is not simply a paper exercise."
The first phase of the inquiry is expected to last more than three weeks.
Scotland's senior law officer, Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, said it was hoped that the inquiry would help prevent another tragedy like Stockline occurring.