By Laura Michell
The company at the centre of a massive chemical fire in Campbellfield in April 2019 has been charged by WorkSafe.
Bradbury Industrial Services was charged with three offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Dangerous Goods Act.
WorkSafe alleges the company, which is now in liquidation, failed to provide workers at the Thornycroft Street warehouse with the information, instruction, training and supervision they needed to perform their work safely and without risks to health.
WorkSafe has also accused the company of failing to take reasonable precautions to prevent fire or explosion at the site in circumstances where it knew that failure would endanger the safety or health of people, property or the environment.
It is also alleged that Bradbury failed to take reasonable precautions for the prevention of fire or explosion involving dangerous goods in its ownership, control of possession.
The fire at the chemical storage warehouse on April 5, 2019, blanketed the northern suburbs in thick black smoke and resulted in the closure of schools and roads in the surrounding area.
The Environment Protection Authority had suspended Bradbury’s licence 15 days before the fire after an investigation found the company was storing more waste than permitted under its licence.
In the weeks following the blaze, Hume council called for the state government to ensure chemical storage companies were abiding by the conditions of their EPA licences.
In a statement, WorkSafe said the charges followed 35 charges already filed in the Melbourne Magistrates Court in relation to alleged chemical stockpiles at other Bradbury sites in Campbellfield and Craigieburn.
The new charges will be heard at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 29.
