The to another last November in an IBI factory (Alicante, 23,920 inhabitants) was due to its boiler “presented serious deficiencies” and “unauthorized or approved reforms and repairs in accordance with the current pressure equipment regulations.” This is the final result of the investigation carried out by the Civil Guard, which has charged four responsible for the management and the company’s production department, Industrias Climber, “three crimes of homicide for recklessness and three other serious injuries due to recklessness.” Both the investigated and the proceedings have made available to the Court of Instruction 2 of IBI.
The accident took place on November 27, around noon. The Biomass Boiler of Industrias Climber, manufacturers of polystyrene products, burst and caused the drop in the ceiling and part of the walls of the ship in which it was located, located in the industrial estate L’Alfaç de Ibi, a municipality famous for its great activity in the toy sector. The emergency services that moved to the place confirmed the death of two employees, whose bodies were trapped by the rubble, of the 39 that were at that time in their job. Another more was injured very serious and had to be transferred by helicopter to the burned unit of the La Fe hospital in Valencia. Although the assembly chain came containers and expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging, a highly flammable product, deflagration did not produce any fire.
The rescue and consolidation work of the wrecked factory also had to expand to three other adjoining ships, according to sources from the armed institute. Part of the roof of the injured factory flew through the air and ended up impacting the Ibipal annexed factory, specialists in the manufacture and recycling of pallets, in which one of its operators became the third fatal victim of the explosion. Several vehicles parked nearby also suffered damage. Once the emergency tasks were completed, the investigation fell to the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard of Villena, which opened the operation steam. With the collaboration of the Fire Investigation Team of Valencia and the Criminalistics Laboratory of Alicante, they collected numerous testimonies to clarify what happened and supported the technical reports made by the Territorial Service of Industry, Energy and Mines and by the Valencian Institute of Work Safety and Health (INVASSAT) of Alicante.
All opinions pointed towards the same direction. The boiler was in a lousy state of conservation and maintenance and had managed with reforms and repairs that did not give the guarantees required by the industrial safety regulations in force for facilities of these characteristics. This alleged negligence was the one that led the agents to impute as investigated the four executives of Industrias Climber, aged between 46 and 71 years, as alleged perpetrators of a serious work accident.
