The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is to spend $1.5 million on workplace health and safety (WHS) improvements under a commitment endorsed by Comcare.
Head of Regulatory Operations at Comcare, Justin Napier said CSIRO was facing four criminal charges following Comcare’s investigation into an explosion at a Melbourne CSIRO laboratory.
“CSIRO has entered into an enforceable undertaking with Comcare to implement a range of safety improvements, with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions formally withdrawing the WHS Act charges in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court,” Mr Napier said.
“The incident happened at the Clayton laboratory in June 2017 during an experiment that involved sawdust being heated at pressure using hydrogen gas in an autoclave,” he said.
“Gas leaked from the autoclave and ignited, causing minor injuries to the researcher including cuts, bruises and facial burns.”
Mr Napier said the explosion caused extensive damage to the building and propelled debris more than 20 metres into a garden area.
He said the enforceable undertaking would strengthen safety systems and outcomes at CSIRO.
“This is a strong commitment that will deliver significant improvements at high-risk CSIRO operations across Australia,” Mr Napier said.
“There are also benefits for the broader research community in the areas of risk assessment training, project risk management and technical infrastructure guidance.”
He said the legally binding undertaking included a virtual and augmented reality training package to identify and control WHS risks in laboratories; upgrading existing project management systems to include WHS risk management; and technical guidance to support hazard identification in high-risk environments for new projects and equipment at CSIRO and across the research industry.
Mr Napier said the safety improvements would be completed over the next 18 months.
