Workers injured in an industrial accident outside Shanghai say the chemical plant owned by Perth-based miner
They said there had been other power outages in the weeks leading up to the rupture of a fibreglass pipe, which flooded an area at the plant with hot sodium sulphate solution, killing one person and badly burning 10 others on November 22.
“I don’t know why the company didn’t fix this power problem earlier," said Guo Jiangxing, who is wrapped in bandages from the neck down and will be in hospital for at least a month.
Wang Zhimin, who is sharing a room with Mr Guo and suffered burns to his hands and legs, said the power outages had happened “a few times" in the five months since the plant began operating in July.
The mechanic said when there were sudden power failures, the pump stopped working, which caused blockages, similar to the one that ruptured the pipe.
Galaxy declined to comment on whether there had been any power outages in the lead-up to the accident. The plant produces cathode for batteries.
“Dual external and internal investigations are looking at all aspects of the incident," managing director
“Those investigations are ongoing and it’s premature for the company to make any comment at this stage."
Galaxy said it “employs strict international safety standards across all of its operations" and before this incident there had been no major injuries during the plant’s construction and operation.
In comments that appear to contradict the statement Galaxy issued to the ASX, the workers said the accident happened four days ahead of a three-week shutdown for scheduled maintenance.
Three workers said maintenance was scheduled to start on November 26. A Galaxy spokeswoman said it was due to start on November 22 but was initiated a day earlier after they found the blocked pipe. She said the company would issue an update on the incident within days.
Both Mr Wang and Mr Guo said Galaxy had taken care of all medical bills and assigned an employee to look after them during their hospital stay.
Galaxy has been one of the few foreign companies to sign a “green pass" with the local hospital, which guarantees it will foot the bill and ensures workers are treated immediately after an emergency.
Five of the 10 injured men suffered burns to more than 90 per cent of their body, according to Dr Qian Mingyuan, who is caring for Mr Guo and Mr Wang at the People’s hospital of Zhangjiagang in Suzhou. Those men were transferred to a hospital in Shanghai, he said. Galaxy said on Friday that none of the men was in a critical condition.
Galaxy’s Jiangsu plant, which produces battery-grade lithium carbonate, has only been operating since July. The company is aiming to ramp up production so that the plant will produce 17,000 tonnes a year, making it the fourth-biggest producer in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier this month, Galaxy said it would raise $81 million via a placement to a subsidiary of the Jiangsu government and to London fund manager M&G Investments.
It has completed the $15 million placement to M&G but will not finalise the $66.2 million deal with East China Mineral Exploration and Development Bureau until early next year. Mr Tan said on Friday the accident had not affected the company’s capital raising plans.
Three weeks ago Galaxy announced that an internal and external safety audit had been conducted at the plant.
The Australian Financial Review