Vic: Shell promises to ring alarms following major spill

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2000
Vic: Shell promises to ring alarms following major spill

By Heather Gallagher

MELBOURNE, April 11 AAP - A major petrol spill at Shell's Geelong refinery was followed
today with a promise from management to alert workers to future incidents with an alarm.

The Australian Workers Union (AWU) believes its members' lives were endangered when
26,000 litres of petrol leaked from a tank yesterday afternoon.

Hundreds of workers walked off the job, while union organisers voiced their concerns
to management.

But Shell spokesman Rob Hart said workers returned to work this afternoon after management
promised workers would be alerted to any future spills with an alarm.

"Employees and management agreed the incident was well handled but communication to
employees could've been improved," Mr Hart told AAP.

"A new process of communication across the site has been agreed on and that will involve
using the refinery-wide alarm."

He said the workers main concern was they did not know what was going on at the time
of the spill.

But AWU branch organiser Robert Nichols denied his members had returned to work.

"It's incorrect to say we've returned to work," Mr Nichols said.

He said members walked off at 8am AEST today and would decide whether to return to
work at a 7am mass meeting tomorrow.

"They'll report back at 7am to the health and safety officers and hopefully confirmation
that Shell have agreed to sound the alarm if this ever happens again," he said.

A single spark could have caused disaster during yesterday's spill, he said.

"Only a spark could've turned it into a potential major hazard - a major fire," he said.

But Mr Hart said there were no sources of ignition near the leak.

"At the time of the spill, we had the EPA, CFA, WorkCover and the Shell firefighting
team there," he said.

"We deemed that the risk was low and therefore the alarm was not sounded."

But the AWU said it was the second spill this year, with 40,000 litres of fuel leaking
from a faulty pipe in February.

"We're just concerned the general overall maintenance of the plant has been reduced
and that Shell are putting profits before people," Mr Nichols said.

A Victorian WorkCover Authority spokesman said an investigation would begin today.

"There have been a few incidents down there over the past few months that we're investigating,"

the spokesman said.

AAP

KEYWORD: SHELL O RING ALARMS FOLLOWING MAJOR SPILL

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