Workers' Inferno: The untold story of the Esso workers 20 years after the Longford explosion

By Ramsina Lee

Workers' Inferno is based on real events which took place at an Esso (a subsidiary of Exxon Corporation) operation at Longford, Victoria Australia on 25 September 1998. 
 
Employees were working at the Esso gas production and processing plant, situated at Longford in Sale, when a gas plant ruptured

• Language: English
• Publisher: Significance Publishing
• Release date: Oct 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9780648310037

Ramsina Lee

Ramsina Lee has been working in the people side of businesses for over twenty years. She maintains that people are not 'resources'. People are human beings whose life, safety and welfare are sacred and matter and which have to be revered. She attained her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in Industrial Relations and Sociology at the University of New South Wales before commencing her career which includes serving on boards, tripartite councils, committees as well as executive leadership teams across the private and public sectors and not-for-profit. She has contributed enormously to many organisations with her wealth of knowledge in all aspects of employee relations including leading the strategies for industrial relations, employee engagement, work health & safety and the broad range of people related services. Ramsina believes that the measure to which society can progress, grow and prosper is the measure by which it respects the fundamental human rights of people to perform work that is safe in safe workplaces and their right to belong and associate. Ramsina believes that many people suffer needlessly and allow themselves to be exploited and hurt because of the lack of respect for life generally and because people do not believe that their life matters. Ramsina started the My Life Matters Movement to reverse this. Go to www.mylifemattersmovement.com for information about how to change the world by believing that your life matters.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

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This book is based on events that took place at an Esso operation (a subsidiary of Exxon Corporation) at Longford, Victoria, Australia on the morning shift of Friday 25 September 1998.

During this particular shift, numerous maintenance personnel, administration staff and fifteen shift workers were on site at the Esso gas production and processing plant when a vital piece of processing equipment exploded and caught fire. Two workers were killed and a number of workers were injured.

The initial explosion caused numerous other explosions and fires, which took two days to extinguish. Through a proclamation by the State Governor, all gas supply, except for critical areas of the State, was shut off.

Three weeks after the explosion, the Governor of the State of Victoria established the Longford Royal Commission to investigate and report on the causes of the explosion and fire which occurred on 25 September 1998, and the failure of gas supply from the Longford facilities following that explosion and fire. In addition, to investigate and report on whether issues relating to the design of the plant and numerous operating and maintenance procedures followed by Esso caused or contributed to the fire and explosion and failure of gas supply; and future steps to be taken to avoid similar occurrences from taking place.¹

The Commission proceedings started in November and lasted four months.

Thirteen parties, which were concerned by the outcome of the Royal Commission, were allowed to appear before it and make submissions. They included entities such as the company and its associates, suppliers of chemicals, insurance groups and the trade union movement. One trade union in particular, the Australian Workers’ Union (Victorian Branch), represented the interests of the plant operators who were directly connected with the explosion on the day.

CHAPTER ONE

THE FOOTBALL MATCH AND THE WARD FAMILY

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THERE IS NOTHING ON THIS EARTH MORE PRIZED THAN TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

Thomas Aquinas

It was a bright, warm sunny day in Maffra, a small attractive town lined with trees and buildings from the nineteenth century, a short distance out of Sale, eastern Victoria. A crowd had gathered on the field to watch a friendly Australian Rules Football match between two local teams. The crowd included some locals, Peter, whose son Luc was playing, and some of the workers from Esso who were there to watch Luc play. Another mate Marty, who had recently joined these men as an operator at Esso, was coaching Luc’s team.

The game was played hard by both teams. Luc kicked three goals consecutively. Spectators cheered and applauded him.

One of the locals turned to Peter and laughingly asked, How’s that for a friendly game? He should be playing up in the city, mate!

Peter nodded and said, Yeah, but he doesn’t wanna leave town. He says he doesn’t want to live in the big smoke. He wants to live in Sale and enjoy the country life he’s grown up in.

I don’t blame him. No one in their right mind could leave the fresh air, the community spirit and the mateship. I wouldn’t leave it for the world, replied the local.

When the game ended and spectators and friends dispersed, the community spirit remained. Some of the spectators ruffled Luc’s hair affectionately and congratulated him. Others walked past and waved, as if to a local hero. Peter walked up to his son and patted Luc’s back and softly punched his gut. That’s my son, he teased with pride in his voice. They laughed and walked to the car.

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A HAPPY FAMILY IS BUT AN EARLIER HEAVEN

George Bernard Shaw

Jim Ward drove through the main street of his hometown. The familiar sight of the small shopping strip, the two pubs (the top pub and the bottom pub) and the ever-busy general store seemed to never change, he thought.

This town was socially conservative, working-class, decent and, above all else, community-minded. He loved its inhabitants and particularly one local girl: the girl he married when they were twenty-three years old.

As he pulled into the driveway of his home, a modest timber cottage overlooking a lake, he felt gratitude for his life. He’d been married to Elizabeth, his soulmate, for eighteen years and they had two children that he absolutely adored. He turned off the engine and sat in the car for a while and wondered if life could get any better.

When he walked into the house, he followed his daily routine. First, he walked to the kitchen where Elizabeth was preparing dinner. He kissed her affectionately on the forehead. She kissed him back.

Elizabeth smiled and continued preparing the meal. Before he could exit the kitchen, his children, ten-year-old Haydn and eight-year-old Katlyn came sprinting down the hallway and into the kitchen, leaping onto their dad and clinging to any available limb whilst shrieking and laughing.

The usual playful frolicking ensued … Haydn desperately trying to wrestle his dad to the floor by clinging onto his safety-boot clad feet while Katlyn, like a koala in a tree, perched on his back, wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck, urging him to give her a pony ride.

Things would inevitably calm down as soon as Elizabeth set the table and plated up the meals.

During dinner, Jim’s charisma was the centre of the family banter. So, Katie, what was your magic moment today? Jim asked.

Katlyn, full of excitement and enthusiasm to share the highlights of her day, dived into the discussion. I came first in Maths, Dad! And the funny thing is I spent more time practising my high jumps than studying for Maths.

While the family laughed at this response, she took a quick, shallow breath to avoid being interrupted and asked, Dad, can we practise netball after dinner?

Jim smiled and said, No worries, possum.

They loved these times of father-daughter togetherness. Neither would ever say as much but the mutual affection was palpable.

Haydn and Elizabeth smiled and rolled their eyes in pleasure at seeing Jim and Katlyn’s close bond dominate the family conversation. Then Jim turned to Haydn and asked, What about you mate, did you have a magic moment today?

Haydn thought for a short while and with a smile replied, Yep … me and Grandpa got the old stationary engine running after school today. Started first pull. Grandpa thought it’d never start and that it was seized but I could turn it over with one hand and it had good compression.

Elizabeth smiled proudly. The bond between her father and Haydn and their mutual love of historical motors meant so much to her. She loved the fact that her first-born had developed a passion for mechanics and machinery. She’d grown up with it and felt comfortable talking about such a male-dominated interest.

Haydn looked at his mother and asked, What about you, Mum?

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose and replied, Well, as the Deputy Principal, I’m always happy when no one gets sent to my office for detention. So that was my magic moment: well-behaved students. Everyone