Albemarle Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant issued improvement notice by WorkSafe after safety complaints

A South West lithium processing plant has been given six weeks to make improvements to ensure the health and safety of workers following a WorkSafe investigation. WorkSafe issued an improvement notice to US chemical company Albemarle on Friday following their investigation into the Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant, located 150km south of Perth. In a statement, the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety said the notice required Albemarle to “install barriers that will ensure the health and safety of workers carrying out work adjacent to the plant being commissioned”. “They must comply by July 15 or seek a review of the notice by that date,” the statement read. It comes following complaints from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union after an alleged incident in April where workers were exposed to harmful gasses through a vent. It was understood some workers had to be hospitalised as a precaution but had since recovered. AMWU State secretary Steven McCartney told the South Western Times in April the plant was a “21st century facility with a 19th century workplace safety culture”. When approached for comment about the allegations, a spokesperson for Albemarle said their primary focus “continues to be on the safety, health and wellbeing of its workforce and surrounding communities”. Albemarle also recently revealed plans to build a FIFO-style camp in the beachside haven of Binningup, which would house up to 1000 workers and ease pressure on the South West housing market. The proposed “accommodation village” would be built on a 144ha rural-zoned site on Binningup Road, 30 minutes north of Bunbury and about 90 minutes south of Perth.