Worker hurt in fall
A VIVA Energy worker was taken to hospital yesterday after suffering injuries in a fall at the Corio refinery.
Emergency services were called to help free the man, believed to be in his 50s, after he fell on to pipes in the field below ground about 12.15pm.
An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said the man suffered head injuries and was taken to Geelong hospital in a stable condition.
CFA operations officer Pat Geary said crews worked alongside Viva firefighters to carry the injured worker to safety for paramedics to treat.
“The worker had fallen and hurt his shoulder, and was lying in an area where he needed some assistance to get out,” Mr Geary said.
“We had about 10 people from Viva and CFA work together to lift him out and about 15m to a safe area for him to be treated.
“He was down a couple of metres from the level of the road, but it was a good result in the end.”
The injury happened a day after Viva Energy announced it had invested in its long-term future in Geelong, opening a $50 million crude oil tank and announcing a further $45 million of upgrades.
The Geelong refinery unveiled a 100 million-litre crude oil tank — the biggest in the country — set to improve fuel supply security to Victoria.
Earlier this month, paramedics and police were placed on standby as a “precautionary measure” after a gas leak at the Refinery Rd plant.
In September, the Australian Workers’ Union labelled Viva Energy’s safety record as among the worst of all Victorian major hazard facilities.
Documents showed WorkSafe inspectors visited Viva sites on 56 days in the 2016-17 financial year.
The regulator also issued 26 improvement notices.
VIVA employs about 700 workers at the Corio refinery.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman said it was aware of the incident and was making inquiries.