Metal foundry fined $100,000 over death of worker
Issue Date: - Friday, 8 August 2008
A foundry and heavy engineering company has been fined $100,000 over the 2005 death of a 21-year-old worker at its Henderson foundry.
Bradken Resources Pty Ltd pleaded guilty and was fined in the Fremantle Magistrates Court on Tuesday for failing to ensure the safety or health of a person not being an employee.
A labour hire worker who had been at the foundry for less than three hours was killed when struck by molten metal as a furnace exploded.
In April 2005, workers at the foundry were engaged in heating materials in the furnace to melt them to form a metal alloy.
During this process, workers were not aware that a solid cover of metal had formed over the surface of molten metal in the furnace.
This caused the molten metal underneath to superheat, which in turn led to the furnace lining failing. An explosion then ejected most of the molten metal from the furnace.
The worker who died had been undertaking a general workplace induction in the area where he was to be working. He had been taken to the furnace deck to observe the operation of the furnace and associated tasks.
WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said the tragic incident should serve as a reminder that safe systems of work needed to be in place, and they needed to be followed.
“There were no specific safe work procedures in place for the task the workers were engaged in that day,” Ms Lyhne said.
“Some of the employees at the foundry had attended training a couple of years before, but the men who were undertaking the task of furnace operation had not received adequate training in the correct procedures for adding the ingredients to be melted and the early recognition of operating problems.
“Procedures did exist to safely cool the molten metal should a solid cover form, but unfortunately the workers had not noticed that this had happened and did not take the measures recommended to avoid an explosion.
“Bradken Resources had assumed control of this workplace only a matter of days before this tragic incident, but the duty of care to provide and maintain a safe workplace exists from day one and there is no excuse to delay ensuring that the workplace is safe.
“This case illustrates the importance of companies ensuring that a workplace they are taking over is safe and that adequate training and instruction is being provided for all work tasks, especially in hazardous workplaces such as foundries.
“Soon after this incident, a safe system of work was put into place to prevent any similar incidents, but too late for the young worker who lost his life.
“WorkSafe inspectors will soon be conducting a proactive inspection campaign at foundries, beginning later this month.
“These campaigns aim to assist employers to identify safety and health risks and provide information on how to comply with the requirements of occupational safety and health laws.
“Foundries have a range of unique risks in addition to those generally found in manufacturing workplaces, and WorkSafe will be giving them some special attention.”
Further information on maintaining a safe workplace can be obtained by telephoning WorkSafe on 9327 8777 or on the website at www.worksafe.wa.gov.au.