Alumina safety slated
By IAN HABERFIELD
28nov99
SERIOUS safety breaches have occurred at the Queensland
Alumina plant in Gladstone.
QAL has been issued with seven Workplace Health and Safety
improvement notices and its contractors with two, after an
inspection of the plant.
The Department of Employment, Training and Industrial
Relations ordered the check after a series of accidents at
the plant in recent months.
Incidents include caustic material spewing into the sky on
three occasions, a fire and a turbine pump blowout.
Workplace Health and Safety Central Queensland assistant
regional director John McGarry said the issues identified by
six inspectors were "very serious".
"The improvement notices issued by inspectors
allege that QAL is in breach of the Workplace Health and
Safety Act," he said.
"QAL has been put on notice and we will follow up to
ensure the company has complied with the improvement
notices."
Inspectors ordered improvements to isolation systems,
better communications, better training, restrictions on access to
chemical work areas and repairs to grating on walkways.
In an incident at the plant two weeks ago a contract worker
was seriously injured after he fell more than nine metres
from machinery. The man, employed by Gladstone-based firm
Mika Engineering, was taken to Gladstone Hospital,
transferred to Rockhampton, then airlifted to Brisbane for
treatment. The fall is still being investigated.
On November 5, a production worker was badly injured when a
nipple joint on a high pressure hose failed. A stream of
water blasted into his face.
The man, married with four children, was airlifted to
Brisbane for three hours of surgery. He has been released
and is recovering well but will have scarring.
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