Scrap Recycling Business Charged After Dandenong South Explosion

What happened?

WorkSafe Victoria has charged a scrap recycling business after a worker was seriously injured in an explosion at Dandenong South.

In November 2025, a 35-year-old worker was decommissioning an air conditioning unit when gas escaped and ignited. The explosion caused serious burns to his body, including his hands, legs and face.

The charges

Eco Scrap Pty Ltd is facing one charge under section 21(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for allegedly failing to provide and maintain a working environment that was safe and without risks to health.

WorkSafe alleges the company breached section 21(2)(a) by failing to provide a safe system of work, written into a standard operating procedure, that made sure refrigerant was removed from air conditioning units before they were scrapped.

The company also faces a charge under section 26(1) for allegedly failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health.

The matter is listed for a filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 19 October 2026.

Why scrapping air conditioners is high risk

An air conditioning unit that still holds refrigerant is not inert scrap. If that gas is released while the unit is being cut, dismantled or decommissioned, it can escape and ignite.

The alleged failure here is not a missing sign or a one-off lapse on the day. WorkSafe says there was no documented system that required the refrigerant to be removed before the unit was scrapped.

Lessons for recycling and scrap yards

Businesses that take in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment should:

• Treat units as charged until refrigerant has been recovered by a competent person.
• Write that step into a standard operating procedure, and follow it before any scrapping or dismantling.
• Train and supervise workers so decommissioning is not left to guesswork.
• Keep ignition sources away from plant that may still contain gas.
• Stop the job if a unit has not been confirmed as degassed.

The bigger picture

Scrap yards handle plant that was never designed to be pulled apart on the floor of a recycling shed. Residual gas, stored energy and flammable contents all have to be dealt with before the metal is treated as waste.

These are allegations, and the company has not been found guilty. The filing hearing will be the first court date. The charge still shows what WorkSafe expects: a written system that removes the hazard before the work starts, not after someone is burned.

TL;DR

• Eco Scrap Pty Ltd has been charged after an explosion at its Dandenong South site.
• A 35-year-old worker suffered serious burns in November 2025 while decommissioning an air conditioning unit.
• WorkSafe alleges gas escaped and ignited because refrigerant was not removed before the unit was scrapped.
• The company faces charges under sections 21 and 26 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• A filing hearing is listed for the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 19 October 2026.

Source: WorkSafe Victoria, “Scrap recycling business charged after explosion”, 15 October 2026.