Dive company sentenced after scuba explosion severs worker’s leg

The company pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to provide a safe workplace and was sentenced without conviction in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 November. It was also ordered to pay $4,386 in costs.

The explosion occurred in October 2022 while the instructor was filling scuba cylinders with compressed air at the company’s Drumcondra workplace, following standard procedure. He heard a whistling sound as he closed a cylinder valve, and the cylinder exploded within seconds.

The blast severed his left leg below the knee and severely injured his right foot, requiring emergency surgery. It also blew out the shop’s windows, scattered debris throughout the premises and caused internal structural damage.

Australian Standards require scuba cylinders to undergo visual inspection and pressure testing at a certified testing station every 12 months. Cylinders that pass are known in the industry as “in test”, while those not tested within the past 12 months are “out of test”.

WorkSafe’s investigation established that the exploded cylinder was out of test, with its last test date unclear. Information supplied by the company showed that more than half of the 53 cylinders being used at the workplace were also out of test.

The court found the company could reasonably practicably have reduced the risk of an explosion by keeping out-of-test cylinders clearly separated from those in test.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said the failure to meet simple safety standards had dire consequences. “This is a horrific and preventable incident that has sadly left a worker with life-changing injuries,” Mr Jenkin said.

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