Dive company fined $40,000 over scuba cylinder explosion

Foreword

Today, Solve Safety is analysing and reviewing this latest reported WorkSafe Victoria’s (workplace safety regulator) News and Safety Alerts. Solve Safety is not identifying the nature of the specific problem of any person or organisation in this commentary but only speculating on what could be happening generally in a situation like this, as described by the regulator’s media press release.

Introduction

Solve Safety is a Triple ISO Certified Professional Services organisation (Safety, Quality and Environmental) that offers specialised support for your workplace safety compliance by providing occupational health and safety advice for workplace’s operational task and activities management (workplace safety compliance made easy) to create the safest and most efficient environments possible, protecting both lives and livelihoods.

Topic Elements

As a learning from the topic elements, Solve Safety has both analysed the background and the timeline of both how and why an incident like this could take place and what judgements or decision reasoning was reached by the workplace safety regulator’s published conclusions.

Are You Managing the Hazards During Your Scuba Cylinder Air-Filling Procedure?‍

Background

According to WorkSafe Victoria’s recent news and safety alerts, a dive company had an exploding scuba cylinder during a standard compressed air filling procedure that severely injured an instructor by severing their left leg below the knee whilst sustaining further severe injuries to their right foot, both requiring emergency surgery. The explosion also caused further significant internal building structural damage, with windows blown out and debris scattered throughout.  

Described as a horrific and preventable incident with life and death dire consequences leaving a worker with life-changing injuries and giving the regulator heightened concern over diving industry compliance standards. This is due to failure to comply with “simple safety” through following the Australian Standards (AS) by keeping equipment properly maintained. The standards require scuba cylinders to be both visually inspected and pressure-tested at a certified testing station every 12 months.

WorkSafe Victoria’s investigation reported that the scuba cylinder that exploded was “out of test” (not tested in the last 12 months), thus not passing the AS requirements. There was also uncertainty about when it had been last tested. Further enquiries showed that the dive company’s more than half of the 53 scuba cylinders being used at the workplace were also out of current testing validity.

Are You Controlling the Risks of Your Scuba Cylinder Air-Filling Operations?‍

According to this WorkSafe Victoria’s news, workplace employers (duty Holders) should ensure they have currently risk assessed and reviewed their organisations’ operational activities and tasks (harm minimisation) controls for scuba cylinder standard compressed air filling procedures, storage, inspection and testing, such as ensuring:

• Cylinders are not filled when there is evidence of damage through surface gouging, dents, broken fittings, corrosion or rust.
• Emergency procedures are in place to immediately cease filling, discharging the cylinder and evacuating the area for any cylinder leaks whilst filling.
• Cylinders are not filled at a pressure greater than the working pressure stamped on the cylinder.  
• They refer to the cylinder manufacturer for any further safe use guidance.
• The use of proper cylinder filling equipment.
• They follow standard cylinder filling procedures and refrain from fast filling.
• Filling is only performed by a suitably competent person.
• There is no tampering with the valve unit, safety valve fitting or rupture disc.
• There is no contaminants such as saltwater or moisture into a cylinder or allow a cylinder to encounter fire, direct sunlight or high temperatures.
• The flexible connections (filling hoses) are suitably restrained before filling to prevent sudden movement if a hose bursts or disconnects when pressurised.

Compulsory OHS/WHS Workplace Safety Compliance

Solve Safety focuses on comprehensive workplace Duty Holder OHS/WHS Prosecution Mitigation by providing guidance on workplace safety compliance measures that reduce both the hazards and risks (harm minimisation). This is achieved by controlling workplace hazards that Duty Holders are required to consider by law when conducting their organisational operational activities and tasks.

OHS/WHS Subject Matter Experts

Workplaces can be dangerous due to many hazards that have the potential to kill, injure or cause ill health or disease, so discover safer workplaces and stress-free assessments by seeking subject matter expert safety advice prior to any of these serious safety incidents which will impact both a range of internal and external factors. Additionally, it can affect several stakeholders, making it an imperative Duty Holder’s strategy to mitigate the potential likelihood of an occupational health and safety (OHS/WHS) prosecution situation for non-compliant organisational operational activities and tasks.

Free! Initial 7-Point Safety Compliance Assessment

• Do you own, operate, control, manage or supervise a workplace?
• Do you have your compulsory legal Safe Systems of Work in place?
• Have you met all your mandatory (auto opt-in) workplace safety OHS/WHS regulatory obligations?

Multiple Regulator OHS/WHS Prosecution Routes

There are several different legislated Safety Acts and Regulations that OHS/WHS prosecutions by WorkSafe can institute or conduct legal proceedings against duty holders (person or organisation). This occurs when there are cases of an employee, contractor, customer or visitor who has been either injured or killed whilst in the workplace.

OHS/WHS Health Safety Management Support Services

With our team of leading safety management consultants based in Melbourne but operating throughout Australia Nationally, we are dedicated to helping organisations to become safe and compliant.

No matter the size of your workplace from small, medium or major or services you may offer, such as transportation, logistics, postal, warehousing, agricultural, forestry, fishing, construction building trade, manufacturing, mining and quarries, public administration and safety emergency, administration and support, arts, culture and design, retail and wholesale trades, every other workplace and rental, hiring and real-estate, electricity, gas, water and waste water recycling, office works and professional services, health care and hospital, health and community support, education and training, hospitality, automotive, sports and recreation, aged care or disability services, a risk assessment of the workplace that identifies all the hazards is of paramount importance.

OHS/WHS Safety Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Our consultants are Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) certified, qualified and experienced to have expert skills and knowledge over every aspect of Workplace Safety for Duty Holder OHS/WHS Prosecution Mitigation. This gives them the abilities to meticulously review and support your safety planning, so it meets the highest safety standards, minimising risks and enhancing productivity.

OHS/WHS Safety Certification and Qualifications

The Australian Qualifications Framework specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Governments Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territories, through the Standing Council of Tertiary Education Skills and Employment. www.aqf.edu.au

‍