Longford Gas Plant Explosion | 1998 |
The Longford gas explosion was a catastrophic industrial accident which occurred at the Esso natural gas plant at Longford in the Australian state of Victoria's Gippsland region.
On 25 September 1998, an explosion took place at the plant, killing two workers and injuring eight.
Gas supplies to the state of Victoria were severely affected for two weeks.
In 1998, the Longford gas plant was owned by a joint partnership between Esso and BHP.
Esso was responsible for the operation of the plant. Esso was a wholly owned subsidiary of US based company Exxon, which has since merged with Mobil, becoming ExxonMobil. BHP has since merged with UK based Billiton becoming BHP Billiton.
Built in 1969, the plant at Longford is the onshore receiving point for oil and natural gas output from production platforms in Bass Strait. The Longford Gas Plant Complex consists of three gas processing plants and one crude oil stabilisation plant. It was the primary provider of natural gas to Victoria, and provided some supply to New South Wales.
Royal Commission
A Royal Commission was called into the explosion at Longford, headed by former High Court judge Daryl Dawson.
The Commission sat for 53 days, commencing with a preliminary hearing on 12 November 1998 and concluding with a closing address by Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission on 15 April 1999.
The findings of the Royal Commission found Esso fully responsible for the accident:
The causes of the accident on 25 September 1998 amounted to a failure to provide and maintain so far as practicable a working environment that was safe and without risks to health. This constituted a breach or breaches of Section 21 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985.
Esso Ugly Dispute
essouglydispute.com has been created in response to ESSO & UGL's tactics used to undermine the working wages & conditions of the their loyal contractual maintenance workers.
UGL along with ESSO, are exploiting a legal loop hole in the system which is being used to undermine wages & conditions. This tactic is rife across Australia and was recently highlighted in the CUB dispute.... Battle Of The Brewery.
This is not only an attack on the work force, but an attack on the surrounding communities that rely on money being spent in their shops, their business, their schools etc.
We are committed to Stand Up for What we value & Who we value.
IT'S TIME TO STAND UP AUSTRALIA, FIGHT BACK!!!
Book: Workers Inferno
The untold story of the Esso workers 20 years after the Longford explosion
By: Ramsina Lee
A book about the 1998 explosion at the Esso Operation in Longford, Victoria.
This book is based on 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 and exploded, killing two of the workers and physically injuring others.
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.
This is the untold story of the lives of the workers and their families whose lives were changed forever as a result of the accident and subsequent efforts by the company to blame its workers for the accident during the Royal Commission into the explosion.
View Book: booktopia.com.au
❊ Address ❊
⊜ South Road Longford View Map
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ Longford Gas Plant Explosion | 1998
❊ Also See... ❊
➼ Remembrance: Longford Gas Plant Explosion | 1998-2025
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