A Deer Park chemical manufacturer has been fined after a team from Environment Protection Authority Victoria has undertaken a compliance audit and investigated breaches of its licence following a report of a strong odour from its Ballarat Rd plant.
The smell wasn’t the only thing that left Hexion, with $9880 of the company’s money to go to paying a fine for failing to report the incident to the environmental regulator.
EPA western metropolitan regional manager Carly McGregor says when members of the public reported the odour on 2 April, an EPA team was on site and opening the investigation within hours.
“There’s a clear message for any business with an EPA licence or permission,” she said.
“That licence comes with conditions designed to protect the environment and the community. The conditions are backed by the law and must be taken seriously.
“In this case, the first calls came from members of the public, an EPA team was on the premises the same day and launched an examination of all aspects of the company’s compliance with its licence.
The facility operates under an EPA operating licence and one of the conditions of the licence is that it must report any breaches immediately.
EPA officers are now assessing whether to issue a regulatory notice requiring the company to make improvements to reduce the risk of future leaks.
Under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the Infringements Act 2006, the operator has the right to have the infringement notice reviewed or be considered by a court.
Members of the public can report pollution by calling 1300 372 842 or at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
