Alcoa of Australia has been fined $400,000 after workers and work experience students sustained burns from an uncontrolled release of hot caustic solution at the Kwinana alumina refinery. The incident in September 2022 resulted in very serious injuries, including to the faces of the students.
The students were part of a work experience program and had been attending the refinery for several weeks prior to the incident. On the day of the incident the supervisor of the students was showing them around the refinery, in contravention of the actual site policies stating they weren't cleared for some of those operational areas because of these sorts of hazards.
The incident began when a contract employee found a pump malfunctioning, smoking and ejecting debris. The contract worker notified his shift supervisor who attended the scene with other workers.
The shift supervisor checked with the refinery’s control room to see if they could bring another pump online to replace the damaged pump. A control room operator advised the supervisor they would need to change the pump within a short time frame due to potential production consequences.
The shift supervisor was aware the pump could explode if pressure built up and opened a discharge drain valve before instructing the work experience group to leave the area.
Unaware that the valve line was still open, another worker engaged in the pump changeover pushed the start button causing an uncontrolled discharge of hot caustic solution. The caustic solution hit a metal step in the open spoon drain, causing the liquid to spray out and hit the workers and students.
WA WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said “Companies must ensure that all people at a workplace, including work experience students, are kept safe,” Ms North said. “Companies must also have robust controls in place and ensure these controls are monitored so they continue to be effective.”
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