SafeWork SA is conducting its first work health and safety audit of the distillery industry due to a significant increase in the number of distilleries and associated safety concerns. Over the past decade, the number of distilleries in the state has grown tenfold to more than 120.
The executive director of SafeWork has emphasised distilleries pose inherent risks due to the storage and use of highly flammable liquids, electrical safety hazards, and slip, trip, and fall risks.
The audit, which started this month and will last six months, aims to ensure distilleries comply with WHS and dangerous substances obligations. It will focus on areas such as explosive atmospheres, pressure vessel uses and testing, electrical safety, chemical storage, and slip, trip, and fall hazards.
Inspectors will issue statutory notices for any identified risks that cannot be immediately remedied. SafeWork say the audit will help assess compliance and enable education and advisory services to work with distilleries to address shortcomings.
