AN EXPLOSION and fire in a vehicle containing bottles of flammable gas in suburban Sydney has resulted in an air conditioning company being fined $120,000.
The explosion damaged homes, shattered car windscreens and showered glass and debris across roofs and backyards.
A 64-year-old air conditioning technician, rendered temporarily unconscious in the blast, escaped before the service vehicle was engulfed in flames.
The man suffered from glass embedded in his skull, lacerations to his hands and ears requiring 20 stitches, concussion and continuing tinnitus, and is receiving treatment for psychological injury and post traumatic stress.
In the NSW Industrial Court recently the man’s employer, Victorian-based Carrier Air Conditioning, was convicted of failing to ensure the health and safety of its workers under the OHS Act 2000.
An extensive investigation by WorkCover NSW, including its TestSafe Australia facility at Londonderry, concluded that the explosion was most likely caused by gas leaking from an acetylene cylinder being ignited by a spark from a faulty electrical circuit.
The investigation also revealed that, at the time of the incident, Carrier Air Conditioning did not have a company policy on quantities of compressed gases carried in service vehicles, or in relation to checking compressed gas cylinders for leaks.
There were no policies in place as to how the gases were stored in the service vehicles or in relation to ventilation of the service vehicles.
The company failed to comply with WorkCover Improvement Notices directing it to provide adequate ventilation in storage vehicles carrying flammable material.
Add a comment