08:41 am, Friday 16 April, 2010

A factory worker who was almost overcome by toxic gas was rescued just in time by a truck driver yesterday, emergency authorities said.

The 43-year-old man was handling waste at a factory in Melbourne’s west when he was exposed to chlorine.

A truck driver, who arrived at the Lavern North plant to deliver chemicals, brought the factory worker out of the premises.

The two men barely made it to a safety zone when they both collapsed.

They were taken to the hospital for treatment. The driver was discharged from the hospital overnight, while the factory worker was later declared to be in a stable condition.

Fire commander Ken Brown said the two men were the only people in the factory when the incident occurred.

“What crews found when they first arrived, was a factory worker and a truck driver were struggling for breath,” he said.

“Chlorine’s a poisonous gas and very, very nasty to the respiratory system.”

Fire crews took three hours to clear the chlorine gas from the factory.

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09:26 pm, Thursday 15 April, 2010

The coroner has the authority to determine whether the death of a man in Sydney’s west on Wednesday because of herbicide exposure, emergency authorities say.

Emergency crews were called to a Horsley Park house around 8:00am after a gardener collapsed and died.

The 56-year-old was spraying weeds with herbicides just before he collapsed. Fire and police authorities said they cannot immediately find out if he died because of the chemicals or heart attack.

According to Police Superintendent Peter Lennon, 21 other people were contaminated with the chemicals when they attempted to resuscitate the gardener.

“Three were so serious they had to be taken to a nearby hospital. They’ve since been assessed and been released,” he said.

WorkCover NSW is looking into the incident.

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09:30 pm, Wednesday 14 April, 2010

Workers at an office building in Newcastle have been inhaling hazardous fumes for years – and it is time to find the source, the Public Services Association says.

The building had to be evacuated twice this week. Twenty eight people were treated in the hospital for mild respiratory problems.

According to the union, there had been up to 6 emergency evacuations in the building in the last four years.

It currently houses call centre staff and customer service representatives.

Union spokesman Evan Cole said the employers should work with the building owner to discover the cause of the fumes.

“In the short term the members will have to be guided by what the fire brigade rules out or rules in, in terms of the cause,” he said.

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09:29 am, Wednesday 3 March, 2010

Four workers have been sprayed with sulphuric acid when a pipe containing the hazardous substance blew up at an Australind plant on Thursday.

The pipe blast took place at Millenium Inorganic Chemicals in Bunbury at 9.30am.

Three of the workers sustained severe chemical burns. Two of the most seriously injured men had to be transported by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Perth.

One of the injured workers, a 59-year-old man, had to undergo surgery at Royal Perth Hospital. He had severe burns to 45 percent of his body.

A 48-year-old worker suffered acid burns to his feet and face and had to be admitted to the hospital.

A 25-year-old man was sprayed with sulphuric acid to his legs.

The fourth worker was treated in Bunbury for minor burns.

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