06:52 pm, Wednesday 28 July, 2010

A munitions factory in Gladstone was a ‘ticking time bomb’, the Industrial Relations Court was told on Monday.

The munitions company is under fire over a 2006 factory explosion.

The incident in mid-north of South Australia killed three workers and injured two others.

The Court stated that friction inside a machine that blends chemicals caused the blast. It found the company’s chief operating officer guilty of failing to maintain a safe work environment.

During submissions on penalty, the prosecution told the court that the firm had a ‘slapdash’ approach to equipment maintenance.

The court will hand down the penalty on September, which can reach up to $100,000.

The defendants have appealed the decision.

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