Poor Quality Control Led To Fatality
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday July 8, 2000
A lack of quality control at BHP's Whyalla plant contributed to the death of an employee, South Australian Coroner Wayne Chivell said yesterday.
Mr Chivell found faulty procedures and processes at the plant, about 400km north-west of Adelaide, contributed to the death of Andrew Grant Baulderstone.
Mr Baulderstone, 37, died of multiple injuries on December 1, 1997.
He was working in a pellet kiln at the plant when refractory material collapsed and crushed him.
In delivering his coronial inquest findings yesterday, Mr Chivell said some BHP practices at the plant ``were less than satisfactory and ... contributed to the tragedy".
He identified as examples a lack of quality control at the plant regarding welding practices and the use of inadequate hooks within the pellet kiln.
Mr Chivell said he was surprised BHP allowed major changes to the design of the kiln ``without proper engineering analysis of what effects these changes may cause".
``It is surprising BHP allowed such changes to be made without comprehensive engineering advice," he said.
Mr Chivell also said repeated cracking in the kiln was detected before the accident.
``Again, it is surprising that a detailed engineering analysis was not carried out to determine the cause of the repeated cracking," he said.
Mr Chivell said he made no recommendations in his findings as BHP had already taken remedial action to address problems highlighted by Mr Baulderstone's death.
``There is not the slightest hint of a `cover-up' in this case," he said.
``I accept the evidence of BHP witnesses that a collapse was unprecedented and that they did not anticipate such a calamity would occur."
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury
