Alcoa ordered to pay A$285,000 for worker's death at Australian alumina refinery

The Perth Magistrates Court in Australia ordered Alcoa Inc. unit Alcoa of Australia Ltd. to pay a A$210,000 fine and A$75,000 in costs over the death of a contract worker in a November 2015 accident at the Kwinana alumina refinery.

The worker was part of a crew removing scaffolding from inside a bank of processing vessels, which are also known as digesters. He inadvertently entered one of the digesters where scaffolding had been removed and fell around 12 meters.

Western Australia's Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety said Jan. 28 that there were no barriers to prevent inadvertent access and the digesters did not have markings to distinguish them from one another.

Mines Safety Director Andrew Chaplyn said the accident highlighted the need for companies to take detailed risk assessments and implement control measures to prevent safety hazards.