WorkSafe charges Campbellfield company at the centre of toxic factory fire
A Campbellfield company at the centre of last year’s huge toxic factory fire has been hit with more charges, this time from Victoria’s workplace health and safety regulator.
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A Campbellfield company at the centre of last year’s huge toxic factory fire has been hit with more charges, this time from WorkSafe.
Victoria’s workplace health and safety regulator has laid three new charges against Bradbury Industrial Services, which is on top of the 35 already filed in the Melbourne’s Magistrate’s Court.
The Environment Protection Authority also previously laid 10 charges against the chemical storage company and its director Paul Anthony Bristow.
The new WorkSafe charges relate directly to an explosion and chemical fire at the company’s Thornycroft St factory on April 5 last year.
Two workers were injured and hospitalised as a result of the fire, with one suffering serious burns and the other an eye injury, while the toxic inferno shut schools and blanketed Melbourne in smoke.
WorkSafe has accused Bradbury of committing three offences under sections 21(2)(e) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and section 31C(1) of the Dangerous Goods Act.
“WorkSafe alleges that Bradbury failed to provide workers at the Thornycroft St site with the information, instruction, training and supervision they needed to perform their work safely and without risks to health,” the regulator said in a statement last week.
“The company is also accused of failing to take reasonable precautions to prevent fire or explosion at the site in circumstances where it knew that failure would endanger the safety or health of people, property or the environment.
“It is further alleged Bradbury failed to take reasonable precautions for the prevention of fire or explosion involving dangerous goods in its ownership, control or possession.”
WorkSafe had already charged Bradbury with 35 offences under the Dangerous Goods Act in January and March this year.
Bradbury Industrial Services went into voluntary administration on July 9, 2019.
The company provided storage and disposal services of hazardous and industrial waste and specialised in treating solvent and other waste from paint and related industries. They had warehouses in Campbellfield and Craigieburn.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for May.
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