Alcoa fined $400,000 after caustic solution burned students, workers at Kwinana refinery
'Hot caustic solution' splashed workers and work experience students at the refinery. (Supplied: Alcoa)
In short:
US aluminium giant Alcoa has been fined $400,000 after work experience students suffered caustic burns at its Kwinana refinery.
The incident occurred when a pump discharged a "hot caustic solution" in September 2022, with Worksafe describing the injuries to the students' faces as "very serious".
What's next?
Alcoa has also been ordered to pay more than $5,500 in court costs, and says it has made changes that have "led to a significant reduction in chemical exposure incidents".
US aluminium giant Alcoa has been fined $400,000 after a caustic solution burned a group of school students on work experience at its Kwinana refinery.
The company pleaded guilty in the Rockingham Magistrates Court to failing to ensure the health and safety of workers over the September 2022 incident.
Industry watchdog WorkSafe said the incident started when a worker found a pump in the plant smoking and throwing out debris.
The incident occurred at the Alcoa Kwinana Refinery. (ABC News: Gian De Poloni)
A Worksafe spokesperson said a shift supervisor, aware the pump could explode if pressure built up, went to open a discharge drain valve before telling the work experience group to leave the area.
But as he did, the watchdog said, another worker was replacing the damaged pump and pressed its start button, unaware the valve down the line was still open.
'Uncontrolled discharge'
WorkSafe said that pump starting caused an "uncontrolled discharge of hot caustic solution" which splashed workers and the students.
The watchdog said emergency response officers immediately attended to provide first aid.
On top of the $400,000 fine, Alcoa must also pay more than $5,500 in court costs. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said it was down to luck that those nearby, including the students, were not more severely injured.
"Companies must ensure all people at a workplace, including work experience students, are kept safe," she said in a statement.
"Companies must also have robust controls in place and ensure these controls are monitored so they continue to be effective."
Alcoa was also ordered to pay $5,536.70 in costs.
Injuries 'very serious'
WorkSafe director of mines safety Tony Robertson told ABC Radio Perth the injuries of the students were "very serious".
"They were to the face of the students … on one of the students it was quite bad, yes," he said.
"Caustic is very dangerous, particularly to the wet areas, in your mouth and eyes, so it can be extremely serious."
Mr Roberston agreed it was "very lucky" the injuries weren't worse.
One of the students suffered burns to their face at the refinery. (Supplied: Alcoa Australia)
"The caustic can be quite hot. In this case it was a hot pump, but sometimes the caustic can be very hot as well, so there's the chemical burn plus the heat from the caustic solution," he said.
Mr Robertson said the students were part of a work experience program and had been attending the refinery for several weeks prior to the incident.
"The supervisor of the students was showing them around the refinery, but that was in contravention of the actual site policies because they weren't cleared for some of those operational areas because of these sorts of hazards," he said.
"It just happened to be that they were coming past at the time of the issue."
Procedures improved: Alcoa
Alcoa said it had changed its procedures since the incident.
"Actions were taken to ensure nobody else was exposed to risks in the area and an investigation was carried out with findings used to inform improvements," a company spokesperson said.
"A dedicated project to eliminate chemical contact incidents at … refineries has been underway since early 2023.
"The project has led to a significant reduction in chemical exposure incidents and the company continues to investigate options to further reduce any workplace safety risks."
Loading