A man has been fined $7500 and ordered to pay $3886 in court costs following DMP inspections.
| Date: | Tuesday, 16 December 2014 |
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The man has been found guilty on charges relating to the unsafe and unlicensed storage of dangerous goods.
A man has been fined $7500 and ordered to pay $3886 in court costs after he was found guilty on eight charges relating to the unsafe and unlicensed storage of dangerous goods.
Larry Marchant was found guilty in the Merredin Magistrate’s Court on 10 December to a string of charges following a series of inspections by Dangerous Goods Officers from the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP).
DMP Dangerous Goods and Petroleum Safety Director Ross Stidolph said officers initially inspected the site in the Shire of Trayning in the State’s northern Wheatbelt on 7 November in 2012.
“The officers were checking that storage tanks at this unlicensed fuel storage site had been decommissioned by the operator,” Mr Stidolph said.
“During this inspection the officers identified two ground level storage tanks were still in use – one large tank for diesel and a smaller one for petrol.”
The total capacity of the two tanks was more than 20,000 litres.
“The court also heard that Mr Marchant failed to display HAZCHEM warnings or fuel identification signs,” Mr Stidolph said.
“In addition, the site had inadequate spill containment, the location of the tanks failed to meet separation requirements and fire protection equipment was not clearly identifiable for use in an emergency.
“Despite being issued with a remediation notice from the department and a number of follow up letters and calls from Dangerous Goods officers, Mr Marchant failed to comply with the regulations.
“Following an inspection on 20 March 2013 the department charged Mr Marchant under the Dangerous Goods Safety Act 2004.”
At the time Mr Marchant was using the tanks to store more than 17,000 litres of fuel.
“The regulations are there for a purpose, and the ultimate reason is the safety of workers, the public and our emergency services,” Mr Stidolph said.
“This decision sends an important message that the responsibility to safely store dangerous goods needs to be taken seriously and that it is better to work cooperatively with the department to properly address safety issues.”
