Incorrect disposal of aerosol causes fire, company fined

A fire at the Solveco Pty Ltd facility in St Marys has led to the company being fined $15,000.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) alleges that Solveco inappropriately shredded a number of aerosol cans that still contained flammable gases, which resulted in the fire on 31 July.

Small explosions caused injury to a worker who was nearby at the time. The worker was flown to Royal North Shore Hospital, where he underwent emergency treatment.

EPA officers visited the site but determined there were no negative environmental impacts from the fire, which was extinguished within about an hour. All fire water used to extinguish the blaze was contained at the premises. The EPA issued a clean-up notice for the lawful disposal of the fire water. Solveco complied with the notice.

Asela Atapattu, EPA Director Hazardous Materials, Chemicals and Radiation, said there is no excuse for a facility not to follow the conditions of its waste processing licence and ensure proper and efficient operation.

“Explosions and fire can cause significant risks to workers and surrounding properties, as well as a potential for offensive odours and impacts to nearby waterways,” Atapattu said.

Sovleco was fined by the EPA for breaching its licence conditions under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act, which requires activities to be carried out in a competent manner and plant and equipment to be operated in a proper and efficient manner.

Penalty notices are one of several tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance, including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices, directions and prosecutions. For more information about the EPA’s regulatory tools, see the EPA Compliance Policy at www.epa.nsw.gov.au/legislation/prosguid.htm.

The matter is still being investigated by SafeWork NSW.