Alcoa fined $400,000 after caustic spill burns workers

In Western Australia, an uncontrolled release of caustic solution that burned workers at Alcoa of Australia Limited’s Kwinana alumina refinery has led to a $400,000 fine and an order to pay $5536.70 in costs. Among the group of people affected by the September 2022 incident were school students on a work experience placement at the site.

In the Rockingham Magistrate’s Court, Alcoa pleaded guilty for failing to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA).

A contract worker noticed a burning smell and found a pump that was emitting smoke and debris on the day of the incident. The shift supervisor was notified by the contract worker, and attended the scene with other workers. The refinery’s control room was then checked by the shift supervisor, to see if they could bring another pump online to replace the damaged pump.

Due to potential production consequences, a control room operator advised the supervisor they would need to change the pump within a short timeframe. The shift supervisor was aware that the pump could explode if pressure built up. Having opened a discharge drain valve, the shift supervisor then left the valve to advise the work experience group to leave the area.

As the shift supervisor did this, another worker engaged in the pump changeover pressed its start button, unaware the discharge drain valve was still open. It was this action that caused an uncontrolled discharge of hot caustic solution from the discharge drainpipe.

When the caustic solution made contact with a metal step in the open spoon drain, this caused the liquid to spray out and make contact with some of the workers and students. Emergency response officers attended the scene and provided first aid to those affected by the spill before transferring them to the site’s medical centre.

“Companies must ensure all people at a workplace, including work experience students, are kept safe,” WorkSafe WA Commissioner Sally North said, also noting that the workers and students were extremely lucky not to have sustained more serious injuries. “Companies must also have robust controls in place and ensure these controls are monitored so they continue to be effective.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Edwin Tan. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.