< Back

The ICL Inquiry (The Gill Report)

The ICL Inquiry, chaired by Lord Gill, was a statutory public investigation into a catastrophic industrial explosion at the Stockline Plastics factory (owned by ICL Tech Ltd) in the Maryhill district of Glasgow. It is considered one of the most significant health and safety inquiries in Scottish history.

On 11 May 2004, a massive explosion ripped through the four-storey Grovepark Mills building in Maryhill. The blast was so powerful that the building collapsed almost instantly, trapping dozens of workers under tonnes of rubble. A massive rescue operation involving hundreds of emergency workers lasted for days.

Lord Gill's inquiry was tasked with determining the cause and whether the tragedy could have been prevented. The forensic cause was identified as a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) leak. A service pipe, buried underground in the 1960s and made of unprotected galvanised steel, had severely corroded. Gas leaked into the building’s basement and ignited, likely sparked by a piece of electrical equipment.

The report was highly critical of both the company and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Lord Gill found that ICL Tech Ltd had failed to carry out a proper risk assessment of their gas installation. More broadly, he slammed the "leisurely and half-hearted" approach of the HSE and the government towards LPG safety. He noted that the risks of buried, unprotected metallic pipes were well known in the industry, yet there was no robust inspection regime to ensure they were replaced or maintained.

The inquiry described the existing regulatory framework as a "regulatory gap," where neither the gas suppliers nor the HSE took full responsibility for the safety of the pipes between the storage tank and the building.

Key numbers at a glance

Recommendations

Months to complete

7.5

Cost in millions (if known)

Deaths (direct)

Recommendations

Recommendation Category	Summary of Advice	Current Status
Pipe Replacement	Mandatory replacement of all buried metallic LPG pipes with plastic (polyethylene) or protected materials.	Implemented (A nationwide replacement programme was launched).
LPG Regulation	A new, unified set of regulations specifically for the installation and maintenance of LPG systems.	Implemented (Gas Safety Regulations updated).
Risk Assessments	HSE must ensure businesses specifically include "buried services" in their mandatory risk assessments.	Implemented (HSE guidance for small businesses overhauled).
Inspection Regime	Gas suppliers should be prohibited from filling tanks if a valid safety inspection certificate for the pipework is not present.	Implemented (Industry standard for LPG suppliers).
Emergency Planning	Improved coordination between the HSE and local fire services regarding the location of industrial LPG tanks.	Implemented (Embedded in local authority risk registers).