Perth firm National Steel Workplace fined $350,000 over apprentice’s serious burns

A Perth steel company has been fined $350,000 over major safety failures that resulted in a 16-year-old suffering serious burns to his abdomen, chest and hands.

The young apprentice laid in a puddle of water on the ground to put out flames that had taken hold in his clothing as he welded in the city’s southern suburbs in July 2021.

The teen required two surgeries with skin grafts and has endured an infection, long term pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, authorities said.

National Steel Workplace pleaded guilty to failing to maintain a safe work environment which led to the worker’s serious harm, and failing to report the teen’s injury to WorkSafe.

In the Rockingham Magistrates Court on Monday, the Hope Valley operation was fined $350,000 and ordered to pay costs of $5295.

National Steel manufactures and supplies steel for the residential construction industry.

The apprentice was tasked with “small welding work” but WorkSafe said he was not issued fire-retardant clothing or instructed to wear a welding apron along with his welding helmet, respirator and welding gloves.

He was wearing an undershirt, work shirt and hi-vis hoodie, which he later switched with a hi-vis tradie jacket.

“During his next weld he felt heat on his arm. When he removed his helmet, he discovered that his jacket, shirt and undershirt were on fire,” WorkSafe WA said.

“He lay down in a puddle of water on the ground to extinguish the flames but by that time had suffered serious burns to his abdomen, chest and hand.”

Failure to notify

The apprentice did not return to work at the heavy industrial company, which failed to notify WorkSafe about the injury.

Authorities only learned of the incident in November 2021 when an inspector visited the workplace.

WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the teen should have been given fire-retardant clothing, been instructed to wear a welding apron, have undergone a formal induction with safety instructions, and been closely supervised given his age and lack of experience.

“He was not issued with company-supplied protective clothing as his employment began after the annual allocation of long-sleeved fire-retardant cotton work shirts,” North said.

“No senior staff member was constantly supervising the apprentice at the time of this incident.

“His supervisor walked past him a number of times but did not instruct him to wear an apron, despite being aware of the risks of hot work such as welding.”

‘It’s not enough to simply have safety rules’

North said the apprentice was given a leather welding apron when his clothing had previously caught fire, but no policy that required workers to wear it was enforced.

“Not all welders at the workplace wore aprons when welding,” North said.

“A job safety analysis had been prepared for welding that specified the protective equipment required, but this was not enforced.

“It’s not enough to simply have safety rules – they need to be implemented.”

North said the case should be a reminder that workers must use appropriate personal protective equipment and that young and new staff require training and supervision.