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Western Australia's workplace safety watchdog has taken enforcement action against a majority US-owned lithium facility in the state's south-west.
Key points:
- WorkSafe says Albemarle must install safety barriers by July 15
- Albemarle has previously stated that safety is a top priority for the company
- A manufacturing union has previously claimed Albemarle treats safety "with arrogance"
The Department of Mining, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) said it had issued Albemarle with an improvement notice in relation to safety concerns at a lithium facility in Kemerton, about 150 kilometres south of Perth.
The warning requires Albemarle to install barriers that will ensure the safety of workers carrying out work adjacent to the plant that is being commissioned.
The facility is being operated and constructed simultaneously.
It follows a workplace safety investigation that was launched in early April following multiple complaints by workers and union officials.
The WorkSafe investigation is ongoing, with the department still assessing other safety issues.
Albemarle would not be drawn on whether it would adhere to the specific improvement notice, but did reiterate that safety was the company's top priority.
"Albemarle provides a safe working environment for a workforce that is highly trained in the use of the equipment and behaviours required to maintain safe operations," the company said in a statement.
"From the commencement of construction, today and into the future, we continue to collaborate with authorities in the management of our site, to ensure the safest environment for our workforce."
Safety concerns previously raised
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union of WA (AMWU WA) has previously raised safety concerns about the facility, describing it as a "21st-century facility with a 19th-century workplace safety culture".
The AMWU WA said several workers had been hospitalised as a precaution in early April, following exposure to toxic gases that leaked through a vent.
Union state secretary Steve McCartney said previous issues at the workplace included chemical showers not working and aluminium scaffolding being stored next to a corrosive substance.
He said a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility in January had been handled with poor communication.
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