Futamura Chemical fined over risk assessment “failures” in packaging production

Futamura Chemical has been fined £200,000 (US$269,000) by a UK court following a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the death of an employee due to exposure to hydrogen sulfide, a harmful gas. We speak to Futamura and HSE to get a clearer picture of the case.

The company was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on January 6, 2026, after an investigation by the HSE, the UK’s national workplace regulator. The case highlights the importance of rigorous risk assessments in the packaging manufacturing process. 

Alexander Cole, an employee at Futamura’s factory in Wigton, UK, was exposed to hydrogen sulfide on Christmas Eve in 2021 and died in hospital the next day. 

Futamura pleaded guilty to two charges under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, of failing to protect an employee and failing to protect a contractor so far as reasonably practicable. The cellulose-based packaging film producer was ordered to pay a £200,000 (US$269,000) fine and £20,000 (US$27,000) in costs to HSE. 

“Futamura was deeply saddened by the death of Alexander Cole, whom we knew as Alec,” Adrian Cave, managing director at Futamura, tells Packaging Insights. 

“As a company, we had failed to recognize the scenario of dissolved hydrogen sulfide entering the site drainage system as effluent and gassing off. Additionally, the failure of a drainage trap allowed hydrogen sulfide to become present inside the building.” 

Dangerous gas

Hydrogen sulfide is a byproduct of Futumura’s cellulose food packaging film creation process. It is a toxic, colorless gas, recognizable only by its characteristic “rotten egg” smell. Depending on concentration and exposure time, symptoms can range from dizziness to death.

“The capture and removal of the gas along with carbon disulfide is subject to rigorous risk assessment and process controls,” says Cave. 

“Both gases are transferred to our carbon disulfide recovery plant, hydrogen sulfide passes through that plant and is dispersed in line with our Environment Agency permit.”

HSE advises employers to assess risks and implement controls to minimize exposure to harmful substances.HSE recommends that employers adequately risk assess and implement sufficient controls to reduce a person’s exposure to harmful substances to a level as low as is reasonably practicable.

Workplace safety

After the accident, an inquest concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, hydrogen sulphide had contributed to his death. During the incident, delivery driver Robert Dyer attempted to assist him but was also overcome by the gas, though he soon regained consciousness.

The investigation found that Futamura “failed to adequately” risk assess the potential for hydrogen sulfide to build up in the site’s drainage system.

A spokesperson from HSE tells Packaging Insights: “Dutyholders whose production processes involve or create substances which are hazardous to health, need to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, to ensure risks have been identified throughout every stage of their process.”

The risk assessment should comply with Regulation 6(2) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. 

Cave says that the incident had a “profound effect” on the company. He states that maintaining high health and safety standards is of “paramount importance” to the company and “underpins all of its business activities.”

“Alec was a well-liked, respected, and long-serving member of our close-knit team. The company wishes to express once more its sympathies to Alec’s family and friends.”

Changes to the production process

The court heard that Futamura conducted a risk assessment of hydrogen sulfide in the production area and implemented control measures. The judge, in his summary of the trial, recognized the support Futamura had given to the HSE during the investigation.

After the hearing, inspector Matthew Shepherd said: “This tragic case shows the importance of conducting a thorough and robust risk assessment to ensure that all risks are properly identified and managed.” 

Futamura has made “a number of changes” to its production process since the accident, says Cave. 

“The entire site drainage system has also been rigorously assessed and, where required, modified to prevent drainage traps from failing,” he adds. 

“The changes made went above and beyond those agreed with the HSE investigation team, demonstrating the company’s commitment to having a safe working environment.”

The HSE spokesperson suggests that risk assessments must identify controls to prevent the release of harmful gases. “Once these controls are in place, periodic monitoring may be required to ensure their ongoing adequacy and effectiveness.”