O2 Motorsports, Nathan Weissel: South Nowra business owner fined for biofuel explosion
A company owned by a professional drift racer has been fined after a teen employee caught on fire and a work experience student was thrown backwards when the biofuel they were making on an “inherently dangerous” homemade device blew up.
The South Coast News
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A South Coast professional racer and his automotive business has been fined more than $150,000 after a teen employee caught on fire and a work experience student flung backwards from an explosion while making biofuel with an “inherently dangerous” homemade device.
O2 Motorsports and its business director Nathan Weissel, who has raced in the National Drift Car Series and SXS ATV buggy racing series and is a Deacon at Nowra Baptist Church, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with health and safety duty, under the Work Health and Safety Act, and exposing Dylan Cowlishaw and Reece White, 19 and 16 at the time, to a risk of death or serious injury.
Mr Cowlishaw and Mr White, who was on his first day of work experience with the South Nowra company, were left to make biofuel without supervision, using ingredients including vegetable cooking oil sourced from a local fast-food restaurant, methanol, pottery plaster, methylated spirits, turmeric and lye or sodium hydroxide, on August 11, 2017.
While Weissel initially supervised Mr Cowlishaw – who had earlier said he was “nervous about doing it” – for about an hour during the initial steps of the process, he then left the younger boys to continue the process, documents state.
The mixture exploded when both teens carried a bucket full of a methanol/sodium hydroxide mix over to the mixing vat while the burner was still lit.
Mr White was thrown backwards by the force of the explosion and Mr Cowlishaw’s clothes immediately caught on fire.
“He ripped his clothes off. Another worker became aware that Mr Cowlishaw had caught on fire and turned on a nearby hose and hosed Mr Cowlishaw with water for 15 minutes,” Judge David Russell stated in his summary.
He was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital where he spent six days for treatment to burns to approximately 7 per cent of his body including legs, palm, hand, abdomen and a corneal abrasion.
Mr White was taken to Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital but did not receive any treatment.
Court documents state the homemade device was designed by Weissel based on internet research and the “contraption” involved a gas burner used for camping being rigged up to an LPG gas tank.
The system also used sodium hydroxide that was stored in a container that formerly contained mayonnaise with the word “acid” handwritten on it and mixing instructions were placed on workbenches in the engine building room.
The company had been producing the fuel for two and a half years.
In his judgement, delivered at the Downing Centre on May 15, Judge Russell found the homemade system used to manufacture biofuel was “inherently dangerous”, there were no safety data sheets, hazardous materials were stored incorrectly and personal protective equipment standards were breached.
Judge Russell found White’s school was not advised that he would be making biofuel and the defendants did not ensure the pair was supervised adequately, nor was Mr Cowlishaw given adequate training to make the biofuel, court documents state.
“Mr Cowlishaw was not entirely sure what he was mixing to make the biofuel,” Judge Russell said in his judgement.
“He was not aware of the risks arising from the flammable nature of the methanol.
“O2 Motorsports should not have been using the gas burner in the LPG gas cylinder.
“O2 Motorsports should not have been using an LPG cylinder removed from a vehicle at the workplace in the manufacture of biofuel. Mr Weissel did not provide O2 Motorsports with equipment to enable biofuel to be manufactured safely.
“The system utilised by the company was not fully enclosed. An enclosed system would have protected workers from being in direct contact with the hazardous chemicals.”
Since the incident, Weissel has said O2 Motorsports had stopped making biofuel and had offered counselling.
O2 Motorsports was convicted and fined $135,000, while Weissel was convicted and fined $22,500.