Article
GrainCorp fined for fumigation mishap
Published: 04/11/2024
GrainCorp Operations Ltd has been
fined AU$15,000 by the New South Wales (NSW) Environment Protection Authority
(EPA) after an alleged system error led to a phosphine gas emission at the
company’s Port Kembla grain terminal in New South Wales, Australia earlier this
year. Phosphine gas is used by grain companies to control pests during
fumigation processes.
The NSW EPA said the error
occurred after an operator at the grain terminal connected the wrong gas sample
line to the grain fumigation monitoring equipment. As a result, both of the
terminal’s monitoring and control systems failed, which allowed the emission of
the phosphine gas at levels above the licensed limit.
A GrainCorp investigation found
no environmental or public health risks, but the company said it is
implementing corrective actions and additional engineering controls to prevent
future incidents. NSW EPA is the primary environmental regulator for New South
Wales. The agency partners with business, government, and the community to
reduce pollution and waste, protect human health, and prevent degradation of
the environment. – World-Grain.com