According to Safework, exposure to chemicals is 100% preventable. Reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals at work is essential to creating a healthy, safe & productive workplace. It is also a key focus area in the Work Health & Safety Roadmap 2022. Workers that were exposed to hazardous chemicals has recent resulted in the conviction and company fine of $110,000.
Viva Energy Refining Pty Ltd is in the business of oil refinery, producing and manufacturing various products from crude oil.
Hydrofluoric acid is a noxious chemical. Colourless in appearance and extremely corrosive to human skin, this acid is a required ingredient to produce alkylate, which in turns enables the manufacturing of avgas and petrol. In order to validate the water content and acidity strength, workers routinely check a sample cabinet twice a week. However on 5 November and 4 December 2017, two workers were exposed to the hydrofluoric acid when the acid was allowed to flow into the line and leaked.
However, these two workers wore Class A personal protective equipment (PPE), which is noted as the lowest bare minimum class of PPE required for working with acid. For the type of work the two workers performed, Class C PPE is warranted, which consists of an “air-feed hood, acid proof PVC fully enclosed boiler suit, PVC boots and outer gloves with Butyl inner gloves, and a full respire air fed acid resistant suit with independent oxygen supply”.
Although Viva Energy Refining Pty Ltd satisfied these requirements in 2104, they have since reduced PPE requirements. Viva Energy Refining Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure safety and failure to notify the incident regarding the two injured workers. The penalty was a fine of $100,000 for a substantive breach, $10,000 for failing to notify the incident to the appropriate authorities. There is another $11,458 fine for additional costs.
Source: The Canberra Times
Title: Acid exposure costs company $110,000
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