A gin and whisky distillery in Tasmania’s north is facing court over a fire that seriously injured a worker in 2021.
Adams Distillery has pleaded not guilty in the Launceston Magistrates Court to a charge of failing to comply with a health and safety duty, exposing a person to the risk of death or serious injury.
Greg Longmore had recently begun working at the distillery in Perth in February 2021 when a gin still caught alight, burning 40 per cent of his body.
Mr Longmore spent eight weeks in hospital.
The prosecution has argued Adams Distillery did not adequately train Mr Longmore, who had no experience in distilling, or provide appropriate supervision during the gin-making process.
The prosecution said Mr Longmore followed incorrect processes in producing the gin — made from ethanol, water and botanicals — by lighting the burner at the wrong step.
Defence lawyers for Adams Distillery countered the claim Mr Longmore was not trained, saying he could not remember clearly due to trauma-invoked memory loss affecting the weeks surrounding the incident.
Mr Longmore gave evidence in court on Thursday, saying he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident, and has experienced memory loss.
When asked by prosecutor Adam Godleman why he was making gin on the day of the incident, Mr Longmore said:
“I don’t recall that day at all, so I don’t have anything there, sorry.”
Mr Longmore said the last thing he remembered before the incident was the previous night.
Defence lawyer for Adams Distillery, Geoff Diggins, acknowledged Mr Longmore had “been through a traumatic event”.
He put it to Mr Longmore that the company did train him to make gin, he just could not remember it.
Mr Diggins said CCTV footage showed Mr Longmore making gin the day before the incident, following the correct steps.
Mr Longmore said he did not remember this.
When asked if his recollection of events could be compromised, Mr Longmore said “it could be”.
Technical training completed before the incident, court told
Adams Distillery was founded by Adam Saunders and Adam Pinkard in 2015.
Mr Saunders remains a company director, while Mr Pinkard left the company but remains a shareholder.
The pair were separately asked questions about Mr Longmore’s training in court on Friday.
Both testified Mr Saunders was responsible for training and observation of Mr Longmore.
Mr Pinkard said his co-director took a comprehensive approach to training.
“His occupational health and safety is impeccable,” he told the court.
Mr Saunders said Mr Longmore had completed the production run of gin several times, under observation, before the day of the incident.
He said Mr Longmore’s technical training had been completed before the incident, which included safety considerations.
“He had been shown every element of every process,” he said.
Mr Godleman told the court Mr Saunders had made contradictory statements in an interview with a WorkSafe Tasmania inspector.
In that interview, Mr Saunders said Mr Longmore had not expressed an understanding of the dangers of working with ethanol and fire.
“He never actually conveyed the seriousness of that product,” Mr Saunders told the inspector, according to a report read by Mr Godleman.
Defence lawyer Geoff Diggins pointed out another part of the interview with the workplace inspector, where Mr Saunders said he had explained to Mr Longmore the burner was to be turned on last.
Magistrate Evan Hughes is yet to deliver his decision.
Source: ABC News
