Bryce Eishold
Hazelwood owner ENGIE has refused to answer questions over its “inadequate staffing level” after it was slammed by the CFMEU this week for pulling fire protection staff and infrastructure from the Hazelwood mine.
The CFMEU says there is not enough staff to protect the site in the event of an emergency – such as the 2014 mine fire which blanketed the Latrobe Valley in smoke and coal dust for more than 45 days.
It has also raised concerns about poor infrastructure used to respond to events such as a fire in the mine in the case of an emergency.
ENGIE failed to respond to seven questions asked by The Express on Wednesday which raised a number of concerns about the operator’s current fire protection systems.
It also refused to affirm its ability to protect the township of Morwell and the broader Latrobe Valley in the event of a fire and did not comment on whether it would install more fire protection equipment ahead of the 2018/19 summer, following union calls.
Instead, the company provided a one-line statement which read “We take the matter of fire-preparedness and prevention seriously. We are meeting with the regulators tomorrow, Thursday, 16 August, to discuss and resolve the issue.”
Unions have previously criticised ENGIE over its removal of fire protection staff in the mine, as recently as last week when Gippsland Trades and Labour Council secretary Steve Dodd said the company was showing a “sign of contempt”.
Voices of the Valley president Wendy Farmer labelled ENGIE’s response “a disgrace” and said the company was failing to protect the safety of the Latrobe Valley and “slapping the CFA in the face” to expect them to come to aid in the event of a fire.
CFMEU mining and energy division state secretary Geoff Dyke said the company was not taking the community’s concerns seriously and a lack of fire resources in the mine was putting the community at risk.
“There is an inadequate staffing level for first response and surveillance for fires, with a huge exposed coal surface and virtually no fixed fire spray protection on a 24/7 basis,” Mr Dyke told The Express.
“There needs to be enough staff to man two fire trucks, an additional person available to escort CFA down into the mine, plus one on the gate to let additional resources in, plus an emergency commander with a high level of local site and plant knowledge.”
It comes a week after Earth Resources Regulation said ENGIE did not consult with the appropriate authorities before removing fire protection staff from the Hazelwood mine in June.
Despite The Express putting Mr Dyke’s comments to ENGIE, the company chose to not respond to concerns outlined by the unions, but simply advised it would meet with the Earth Resources Regulator today.
“Now production has ceased ENGIE no longer has to protect its mine production equipment so they probably don’t have as much concern for fire prevention but rather want to rely on tax payer-funded CFA,” Mr Dyke said.
“ENGIE should also install adequate fixed spray fire protection for wetting down until all coal is capped with clay to eliminate risk to the nearby Morwell township.”
Ms Farmer, who formed the advocacy group in the wake of the 2014 mine fire, said the community was “frustrated, annoyed and scared by the recent tactics of ENGIE”.
“It seems that they’re not listening to community concerns particularly given the regulator needs to go in and tell them they don’t have enough fire protection,” she said.
“The region expects them … to have the best fire protection.”
