Steelmaker fined $120,000

BHP Steel has been fined a total of $120,000 after two employees were overcome by ozone gas at its Port Kembla Steelworks three years ago.

The two men were cleaning slag and scale from a grid pit when the incident occurred.

The NSW Industrial Relations Commission sitting in Court Session was told that the control switch on a dust and fume precipitator system connected to the pit was incorrectly wired.

This allowed the extraction system to function when the exhaust fan was not operating, causing a build-up of ozone in the pit.

Ozone is a highly toxic gas sometimes present around high voltage electrical fields that even in low concentrations can damage the respiratory system.

BHP Steel (AIS) Pty Ltd pleaded guilty under Section 15(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 (NSW) to failing to provide a system of work that was safe and without risk to the health of its employees.

In handing down her penalty, Justice Kavanagh noted that BHP Steel has taken immediate steps to rectify the wiring error, and that new operating procedures were put in place for cleaning the pit.

WorkCover NSW Acting General Manager, Rob Seljak said this incident highlighted the importance of identifying all reasonably foreseeable risks and conducting a thorough risk assessment. "The appropriate controls should then be deployed before allowing workers to carry out work in critical operation, such as in this instance," he said.