International safety attention was focused on a tiny island of the northwest Australian cost in mid-June 2008 when a pipeline exploded. Investigation reports have been presented to government and companies have regained operations after the major gas explosion that disrupted supplies across Western Australia.
In early May 2009, the WA Department of Mines & Petroleum announced a further investigation will be undertaken. WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore has said that the department would carry out the final stage of investigations into the explosion.
Kym Bills and David Agostini have been classified officially as inspectors and will undertake the investigation.
Moore said that the October 2008 report by NOPSA needed additional information which has recently become available.
“…that investigation was limited by its reporting time frame and the absence of critical evidence, such as the results from destructive and non-destructive testing of the pipeline.”
A ministerial media release identifies the investigation’s scope:
- the pertinent sequence of events on Varanus Island during the incident
- the likely cause(s) of the incident
- any actions and omissions by the operator of the Varanus Island facility, or its contractors, leading up to and during the incident that may have contributed to those events.
The final report will be presented to the department in June 2009.
Background on Varanus Island is available in SafetyAtWorkBlog by searching “Varanus” as a keyword.