Stephen gained his degree in Applied Physics from Brunel University in 1978.
After graduation he spent 11 years at the Midlands Research Station of British Gas where he was involved in many areas of hazard research generally involving the accidental release of flammable material. Topics studied include large scale pool fires, confined explosions, rapid phase transitions and gas burner combustion safeguards and flame failure devices. He led a research group studying large scale gas mixing and ventilation processes and wrote numerous technical reports confidential to British Gas.
He became a Team Leader providing expert investigation of gas explosions involving natural gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in domestic premises and conducted many investigations on site, prepared reports for litigation and attended Court as an expert witness.
He was also a technical expert to BSI Committee GSE/29 for the preparation of British Standard BS 6959: 1988 “Code of practice for the detection and measurement of combustible gases (other than for mining applications or explosives processing and manufacture)”.
Stephen joined Dr J H Burgoyne & Partners Midlands Office as an Associate in 1989, became a Partner in 1996 and opened the North West Office in 1997. He has investigated and reported on the cause of over 1075 incidents on behalf of insurance companies, the legal profession, companies and individuals. He has undertaken investigations in the United Kingdom, Eire, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Norway, South Africa, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the Caribbean. He has given expert testimony in Court as an expert witness in criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom, civil proceedings in the United Kingdom and Spain and a Public Enquiry into a fatal gas explosion in Singapore.
He has investigated the cause of fires on board ships in the United Kingdom, Norway, Slovenia, Turkey and Greece. Land-based fire incidents he has investigated include industrial and domestic buildings, electrical and electrolysis equipment, heat-producing appliances (including gas fired, oil-fired and solid fuel burning plant), heated animal and vegetable fats, flammable liquids, materials that ignite spontaneously upon contact with air, agricultural and automotive equipment, paint spraying facilities, the printing industry and domestic appliances.
He has undertaken investigations into explosions involving natural gas-fired plant for drying solvent-based paint in the vehicle manufacturing industry; natural gas fired plant for steam-raising, the leakage of natural gas into both domestic and commercial buildings, LPG leakages into both domestic and commercial buildings, accidental releases of solvents including hexane and toluene, deliberate application of volatile flammable liquids (eg petrol), high pressure release of hydrogen into a laboratory and the hot surface ignition of tyre pyrolysis products in a large vehicle tyre.
He has also investigated carbon monoxide poisoning incidents involving fuel gas burning appliances in both domestic and commercial environments.
He is a past lecturer on explosions and explosion incident investigation at the Fire Services Technical College at Moreton in Marsh.
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