Company fined over Sydney fire, injuries
7 February 2025
Waste management company Cleanaway has been convicted and fined $300,000 for breaching Commonwealth work health and safety laws over a Sydney fire that left a worker with serious injuries.
Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing in its duties under the federal Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act). The company was sentenced in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court yesterday.
The incident happened at the company’s liquid waste treatment facility on Christie Street, St Marys, on 19 April 2022.
A worker was operating a Hazpak machine used to process hazardous wastes including aerosol cans and paint tins when flammable gases escaped. The gases were ignited by a spark from an exposed spindle on an electric motor that was not fitted with a guard.
The Cleanaway worker suffered severe burns to his face and hands. The fire took several hours to contain, with more than 130 firefighters deployed to the scene.
Comcare CEO Greg Vines said the health and safety risks involved were obvious and foreseeable.
‘Comcare’s investigation identified failures in providing a safe system of work relating to the maintenance and operation of the machinery,’ Mr Vines said.
‘Workers had previously raised concerns about safety, including that flammable gas had been escaping from the Hazpak machine as recently as five days before the incident.
‘Expert evidence also established that the motor and the Hazpak machine did not comply with industry standards and regulatory requirements for electrical installations.’
The charge against Cleanaway was a Category 2 offence under the WHS Act, carrying a maximum penalty of $1.5 million. The matter was prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd is a licenced national employer in the Comcare scheme and subject to regulation under Commonwealth work health and safety laws.
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