AGL fined $60,000 after workers exposed to lead during Torrens Island decommissioning

South Australia's Employment Tribunal has convicted and fined energy company AGL $60,000 after workers were exposed to lead during decommissioning work at the Torrens Island A Power Station in Adelaide. The case relates to plant deactivation work carried out between October 2022 and April 2023. AGL pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a health and safety duty to its employees.

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SafeWork SA brought criminal proceedings over the decommissioning process, saying testing found five employees had elevated blood lead levels after lead was detected in workplace dust. According to the regulator's statement, the exposure occurred when large quantities of paper insulated lead covered cables were de-energised, cut and removed. The cables were cut into one-metre lengths and placed into drums for disposal, a process that generated dust and debris including lead dust.

The regulator said workers were given protective clothing and equipment including long sleeves, long pants, boots, safety glasses, hard hats and gloves. However, it said respiratory protection to prevent inhalation of lead dust, such as full-face respirators, was not provided. In sentencing remarks, Deputy President Judge Miles Crawley said the work should have been an obvious source of lead exposure risk and that risk assessment protocols are only as effective as the way they are implemented.

The fine adds to scrutiny of how hazardous materials are managed during power station decommissioning, particularly where older infrastructure contains lead-based components. Lead exposure is a serious occupational health issue because it can affect the nervous system and other organs, and the case highlights the need for controls when dismantling legacy electrical equipment. It also underlines the role of workplace safety regulators in pursuing criminal proceedings where employers fail to protect staff from known risks.

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The matter first came to wider attention in 2024, when workers including AGL employees were reported to have been affected by lead exposure during the project. One worker, Sean Gibbons, said he experienced fatigue, stomach upsets, pins and needles in his legs and insomnia after helping decommission the plant. AGL said it had cooperated fully throughout the process and had taken action to ensure similar events do not happen again.

The company's response suggests it is seeking to limit further risk as the consequences of the decommissioning work continue to be assessed. What remains unclear is whether any further enforcement action will follow or whether additional workers may be found to have been affected. It is also not clear from the available material how long any health monitoring will continue for those involved.

The case is likely to remain a reference point for future decommissioning projects involving lead-containing materials and workplace dust controls.

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