Employment board to be charged over gas explosion

The explosion in St Helier in December 2022 killed 10 people

The States Employment Board will be charged with two health and safety offences relating to a gas explosion in 2022 that killed 10 people.

The body which employs the island's public servants, is accused of failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees and members of the public.

The charges follow a Health and Safety Inspectorate (HSI) investigation into the actions of the emergency services control centre (fire and rescue) and the fire service the day before the explosion at Haut du Mont, St Helier, on 10 December 2022.

Deputy Lyndon Farnham, Jersey's Chief Minister, said the government was "determined to learn all possible lessons" to ensure "a tragedy of this nature can never happen again".

He said he and the government extended their "deepest sympathies to the bereaved families, the injured, the displaced residents, and to all islanders who continue to live with the consequences of that devastating event".

The HSI enforces the Health & Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989, which is criminal law designed to protect workers and the public, with offences under the law subject to unlimited fines.