Energy Australia Yallourn power plant fire caused by inadequate safety procedures, court hears

A large energy supplier has admitted it breached safety laws when a fire broke out at a Gippsland power station while workers were on their lunch break.

A large energy supplier has admitted it breached safety laws when a fire broke out at a Gippsland power station while workers were on their lunch break.

EnergyAustralia Yallourn (EAY) pleaded guilty in the Latrobe Valley County Court on Wednesday after it failed to maintain a safe working environment.

Prosecution documents revealed Yallourn power station maintenance workers had gone on their lunch break when a blaze began in the site’s fuel distribution house on November 11, 2021.

FRV crews battled the blaze — which caused damage to the station’s conveyor, the surrounding chutes and the roof above it — for several hours.

A fire broke out at the Yallourn power station’s fuel distribution house on November 11, 2021. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

The fire occurred during ongoing maintenance work involving oxy cutting, welding, and angle grinding.

Richard Tatnell, a member of the five-person crew, was assigned the Fire Watch task but said, in testimony to the prosecution, there was no requirement for someone to stay in the area during lunch breaks.

Before the team took their breaks, the area was hosed down and Mr Tatnell did an inspection in the same way he had for the previous 11 days, ensuring he could not smell anything burning.

He said he assumed another crew member had also ensured the area was safe.

Following the fire, WorkSafe inspector Darren Watson issued EAY an improvement notice citing inadequate Fire Watch protocols.

The notice required EAY to review, revise and implement updated procedures.

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The energy provider later created a new requirement that thermal imaging cameras be used to assess for hot spots before any meal breaks.

WorkSafe found there was a risk that either during breaks, or at the conclusion of the hot works for the day, an undetected fire could erupt, exposing employees at the workplace to the risk of injury or death.

The company will return to court to be sentenced later this month.

Outside of court, an EnergyAustralia spokeswoman said while there were no injuries in this case, the safety of their people, contractors and the rest of the community was of fundamental importance.

“We take our safety obligations very seriously,” the spokeswoman said.

“Importantly, EnergyAustralia has subsequently implemented changes to our fire management systems, including procedural updates and additional staff training.”