Mining company Wambo Coal has been fined $13,000 and ordered to pay $24,000 in costs after pleading guilty in the Singleton Centre Local Court to emitting an offensive odour from blast fumes following a blast at their coal mine near Singleton on 24 July 2012.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) Manager for the Hunter region, Adam Gilligan welcomed the court’s ruling and said it was a solid outcome for the local environment and the community.
“This outcome should act as a warning to industry that particular attention and care needs to be taken before, during and after a blast. This is to protect both the environment and local residents.”
“In this instance there were a number of families in the Jerrys Plains area that were directly affected by odours as a result of the blast fumes,” Mr Gilligan said.
“Local residents complained of having to go indoors and remain there for the duration of the blast fume incident to avoid the odour. One resident complained that the chemical smell hurt her nose and throat and that the odour entered her house, while another said she experienced dryness in her mouth and a child in her childcare centre complained of itchy eyes.”
“At the time, Wambo knew that there was an increased potential for the blast to generate odorous fumes as the blast materials had been in place for 6 to 14 days. Wambo had delayed detonation on July 20 and 23 because of unfavourable wind direction and speeds.”
“Despite knowing the increased risk of a blast fume incident occurring, Wambo did not take proactive steps to inform local residents of the risk from blast fumes.”
“Since the incident, Wambo has taken the steps to ensure a similar situation does not occur at the site in the future, including: reviewing its health and safety management systems and developing a revised Blast Management Plan.”
“The EPA will continue to monitor activities at the mine site to ensure that Wambo complies with all environmental conditions and regulations, and are actively working to improve their environmental performance. “
Anyone who has a concern about environmental non-compliance or has information about a particular incident is encouraged to contact the EPA’s 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555 to make a report.
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