BOSSES at a major Humber bank company say they may be able to resume full work in two to three weeks – after deciding not to apply to suspend a safety notice that has halted production for the last three months.

As reported, part of Millennium Inorganic Chemical's Stallingborough site was shut down in November following intervention by the Health And Safety Executive's (HSE).

The Control Of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) prohibition notice was made following the release of a white cloud of titanium tetrachloride.

The leak was contained and no one at the Laporte Road site, which produces a pigment used in a variety of household products, was injured.

While the prohibition notice only impinges part of the production process, the plant has been unable operate without it.

An application to suspend the notice – lodged by the company's owner, Saudi Arabian chemicals giant, Cristal Global – was due to be heard by an employment tribunal in Leeds on Wednesday, but was lifted at the last minute.

Rebecca Kirvan, management team co-ordinator, said she was hopeful that the entire notice will be lifted in the coming weeks and that the hearing to suspend the notice was not necessary.

She said a full appeal into the making of the notice in the first place will be heard in 2013.

"Millennium Inorganic Chemicals has decided not to proceed with the application to suspend the COMAH prohibition notice as the site has been working with the HSE to get to a position where the site can return to production," she said.

"Depending on the duration of the remaining work streams, the site may be able to commence the restart of equipment in the next two to three weeks.

"A full appeal hearing will take place early next year. The legal process will not affect the running of the plant."

It is not believed that any of Millennium employees have affected by the shut down, but bosses say there has been "some impact" on a number of contractors who would normally work on the site.

A spokesman for the HSE said some maintenance and inspection functions have been allowed to resume after the company complied with parts of the notice.

They said: "A date for a full appeal hearing has been set for January 2013 by the tribunal, following a case management hearing with all parties.

"In the meantime, the COMAH prohibition notice remains in place and will continue to do so until it is fully complied with.

"HSE has agreed compliance in some parts of the site, which are now back in operation."