Hazelwood Power Corporation fined $1.56m over 2014 coal mine fire near Morwell
A 2014 fire at the Hazelwood coal mine raged for 45 days and threatened the lives of local residents and mine workers. The mine’s operator has now been slogged with a hefty fine over the blaze.
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The operator of Hazelwood coal mine has been fined $1.56 million for putting its staff and local residents in danger during the toxic 2014 mine fire that raged for 45 days.
The Hazelwood Power Corporation has been ordered to pay the penalty in 90 days.
It comes as the mine’s partner operators — Hazelwood Pacific Pty Ltd, Australian Power Partners BV, Hazelwood Churchill Pty Ltd and National Power Australia Investments — were also each hit with a $95,000 penalty for pollution offences during the fire.
Both penalties were handed down today following two separate Supreme Court trials last year.
Hazelwood Power Corporation was found guilty of 10 breaches of occupational health and safety over the blaze which blanketed the Morwell community in thick smoke and coal dust, sparking residents to stay indoors or relocate for health reasons.
A two-month trial ended in November with a jury finding the corporation failed to:
INSTALL an adequate sprinkler system at the mine to reduce fire risks;
ROSTER enough staff on during the extreme fire danger period to fight the fire; and
WATER down the coal and slash vegetation ahead of prime fire weather conditions.
Supreme Court judge Andrew Keogh hit HPC with the hefty fine saying it had not adequately assessed the risk of fire on February 9, 2014.
“HPC were aware of the extreme conditions,” Justice Keogh said, adding protocols for wetting down coal should have been enacted that morning.
A hot and windy weather forecast put the fire danger at “extreme” level and meant a total fire ban was in place.
Justice Keogh said there were only 34 staff and contractors on site that day, but as conditions worsened, other employees rushed to the mine to help.
By 7pm, 103 staff were onsite.
He said it was “not an adequate response” to rely on the goodwill of staff to attend voluntarily after a fire had rained down on the site.
The court heard the fiery disaster unfolded when two bushfires in the area sent “hundreds, possibly thousands” of embers into the open-cut coal mine.
The embers ignited large amounts of exposed coal in the pit, as it had dried out and become highly combustible.
In the 45 days it took firefighters to bring the blaze under control, residents complained of increased respiratory illnesses, persistent coughs, dizziness, headaches and nose bleeds.
Some locals relocated to avoid the carbon monoxide, while others taped up their windows or put wet towels along the bottom of doors to block out the smoke, soot and dust.
Many residents complained of not being able to put their airconditioners on.
Justice Keogh said air quality was recorded as “very poor” for long periods.
He said the Hazelwood Power Corporation had “good character” with a clean criminal record and was remorseful for its failures to protect staff and the community.
In the aftermath, it distributed $100 gift cards to around 6700 households in a $650,000 initiative to boost the local economy. It has also provided donations to local charities and organisations.
WorkSafe chief executive Colin Radford hoped the penalties would provide closure for the community as it continues to recover from the disaster.
He said while the mine operator wasn’t responsible for starting the fire, it should have been much better prepared for the risk.
“This was an entirely foreseeable event that has led to significant adverse health impacts, and WorkSafe will continue to prosecute employers who fail in their duty to protect not only their workers but also the general public,” Mr Radford said.
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