WorkSafe has issued charges against Eco Scrap Pty Ltd, a scrap recycling company, after a worker was seriously injured in an explosion at Dandenong South.
In November 2025, a 35-year-old Eco Scrap worker received serious burns to his body, hands, legs and face whilst decommissioning an air conditioning unit when gas escaped the unit and ignited, causing an explosion.
WorkSafe alleges that Eco Scrap breached s.21(1) of the OHS Act for failing to provide and maintain for its employees a working environment that was safe and without risks to health, and s.21(2)(a) by failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work, documented in a Standard Operating Procedure, to ensure that any refrigerant was removed from air conditioning units before they were scrapped.
The company faces an additional charge under s.26(1) of the OHS Act for failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health.
WorkSafe publishes guidance for employers in the waste and recycling industry to assist them in working safely with waste materials, including links to further information on the safe management of dangerous goods and other relevant hazards.
Read more: Scrap recycling business charged after explosion | WorkSafe Victoria