A fatal tanker explosion in Broome has resulted in a fine for the road haulage firm involved and its customer. The fine totalling $140,000 ($,60,000 for the road haulage firm and $80,000 for Baker Hughes,the customer).  The court found the parties involved had failed to perform their duty of providing a safe work environment, which resulted in the death of a driver and a depot manager. According to a report by ownerdriver.com.au: Baker Hughes was fined $80,000 and Oilfields Transport $60.000 in the Broome Magistrates Court for “failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and, by that failure, causing the deaths” of Baker Hughes depot manager Leon Mobbs and Oilfields Transport driver Geoff Lucas. They died when the tanker they were near ruptured and exploded during attempts to empty it of a load of barite powder. It was one of two three-axle semi-trailers involved in the contract. WorkSafe WA alleged that, on a number of occasions after initial success on the first load, the second tanker was de-pressurised while the inside was manually scraped down, then re-pressurised to remove the powder. On the final occasion the tanker, which had an unreliable manifold inlet gauge on it and which lacked legible safe operating pressure information, exploded. An agreed statement of material facts stated that Oilfields Transport “had no system of training employees in the limits and correct working pressures of the tanker”. WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch said today that the case was a tragic example of safe work systems not being in place. “The tragic deaths of these two men should serve as a reminder that safe systems of work should be in place in every workplace, and that it is crucial that designers’ or manufacturers’ instructions be followed for all plant,” McCulloch says. Source: https://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1205/broome-explosion-firms-fined-over-fatalities This incident highlights the fact that all workplaces need to make safety a priority and in so doing ensure that all workers are trained and properly supervised.  Workers need to be monitored to ensure that they follow the proper safety measures at all times as a single lapse in judgement could result in a tragedy such as this one. Until employers accept their responsibility to provide safe working environments tragedies like this are likely to continue. A report by SafetyCulture.com.au goes on to say: According to The West Australian, the victims, both 51 years old, were killed in December 2008 when a tanker they were standing next to exploded.  In a statement, WorkSafe said the two workers collected two tanker loads of the powder from the depot and delivered it to the wharf in Broome where it was to be transferred to a supply vessel. One of the victims was accompanying the tankers in a car towing a compressor at the time of the accident.  “It was alleged that the transfer of the barite to the vessel could not be completed at the wharf because the powder contained too much moisture, causing it to clog inside the tanker,” said WorkSafe.  While one of the tankers was successfully unloaded, it was alleged that the second tanker was de-pressurised while the inside was manually scraped down and re-pressurised to remove the powder. However, during the final occasion, the tanker exploded and killed the two victims. The court ruled that the tanker had not been maintained to proper safety standards and was not registered with WorkSafe. The vehicle had also not been inspected in many years which was unacceptable. The fact that regulations had not been followed and proper training had not been conducted most probably caused the incident.  The deaths were senseless and the real tragedy was that they could have been avoided if employers had followed the proper safety procedures available to them. This ruling comes as The Transport Workers Union campaigns for safety in the industry to be addressed. The union and its members are calling operators and customers to be held liable for the safety of truckies, who are forced to ignore regulations in order to deliver on time. With current statistics reflecting the cost of truck incidents at $2.8 million annually, the real cost is the senseless loss of lives on our roads.