A Newcastle manufacturing facility has been ordered to pay $82,500 after it was prosecuted by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority over unlicensed emissions and other environmental concerns.
Koppers Carbon Materials and Chemicals Pty Ltd was convicted of three offences and required to pay the costs of the EPA’s legal and investigative teams.
The charges relate to a spill of coal tar after a power outage in October of 2018, the release of fumes from a storage system in May the following year and “reports of health impacts on members of the local community.”
In one instance, workers reported feeling unwell and one required a respirator, while another suffered a headache and sore throat for days afterwards.
In sentencing, Justice Robson explained that the incidents clearly harmed the environment, while being preventable.
EPA Acting Director Regulatory Operations David Gathercole explained that the case showed that companies could not afford to flout environmental regulations without consequence.
“The release of fumes such can have serious impacts on the health of people in surrounding communities, as well as on the environment,” Mr Gathercole said.
“The EPA is continuing to closely monitor Koppers’ operations. We’ve required significant improvements in performance through prevention notices, pollution reduction programs and licence changes, since this incident.
“The Koppers site has been the subject of numerous odour complaints over the years. We’re working with the company to ensure necessary action to improve the functioning of the fume system at the plant is taken, to help reduce the potential for unlicensed air emissions.”