Alcoa and Monadelphous Engineering Associates have been fined more than $50,000 after it was revealed that two workers were exposed to asbestos at the Alcoa Pinjarra refinery in January of 2018.
The two companies appeared separately in the Mandurah Magistrates Court, and both pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safe work environment.
According to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, on the day of the incident, two Monadelphous workers were attaching a cable tray to a steel column. One of the men utilised an angle grinder to remove a coating on the support, which caused fibres from the coating to become airborne.
Testing by an occupational hygienist uncovered low levels of white asbestos, which was absent from the Authority to Proceed documentation, leaving the workers unaware of the risk.
DMIRS safety director Andrew Chaplyn noted that asbestos can pose a significant workplace hazard when not managed effectively.
“No amount of asbestos exposure is considered safe and inhaling the fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma,” Mr Chaplyn said.
“The two companies should have done more to ensure the two employees were working in a safe environment.
“Employers need to make workers aware of asbestos hazards, use appropriate signage to warn of the hazard and refer to a site’s asbestos register during risk assessments.
“If there is any uncertainty whether materials contain asbestos, a competent person should take a sample before work commences.”
Monadelphous was fined $25,000 and required to pay additional costos of $6,000, while Alcoa was fined $30,000 and required to pay costs of $5,000.