WorkSafe has charged a scrap recycling business after a worker was seriously injured in an explosion at Dandenong South.
In November 2025, the 35-year-old man was decommissioning an air conditioning unit when gas escaped and ignited, causing an explosion which resulted in serious burns to his body, including hands, legs and face.
Eco Scrap Pty Ltd faces one charge under section 21(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to provide and maintain for its employees a working environment that was safe and without risks to health.
WorkSafe alleges Eco Scrap breached section 21(2)(a) of the OHS Act by failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work, documented in a Standard Operating Procedure, which ensured any refrigerant was removed from air conditioning units before they were scrapped.
The company faces an additional charge under section 26(1) of the OHS Act for failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health.
The matter is listed for a filing hearing at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 19 October 2026.
Source: WorkSafe Vic
