Australia's Commonwealth fined over child's burns at Questacon — ABC News Australia

The Australian Capital Territory court fined the Commonwealth of Australia $140,000 over an incident at the Questacon science centre in Canberra, during which a nine-year-old girl suffered serious burns to her hands. As ABC News Australia reports, this happened in July 2022: the child touched a plasma globe after using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. A spark ignited the sanitiser on her hands.

Guilty plea and fine

Following an investigation by the Comcare regulator, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, which is responsible for Questacon, was charged with breaching occupational health and safety legislation. The maximum penalty for this violation is a fine of up to $1.5 million.

The Commonwealth of Australia pleaded guilty. The court set the fine at $175,000, but reduced it by 20% due to the guilty plea. Magistrate Ian Temby called the case a serious example of a breach of workplace safety standards and said the fire risk was foreseeable.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Previous incidents

The court heard that in the months before the child was injured, visitors had received electric shocks or burns near the plasma globes. This meant Questacon was aware of the risks associated with alcohol-based sanitiser.

Comcare chief executive Colin Radford said the girl's injury was the sixth safety incident involving plasma globes in five months. In particular, in February 2022, an employee noticed that the combination of sanitiser and metal could cause sparks from a plasma globe, while another visitor suffered an electric shock to the hand that same month.

Prosecutors argued that the centre could have removed the exhibit, offered alcohol-free sanitiser or soap and water, installed warning signs, or supervised the use of the plasma globes. After the incident, Questacon closed and later removed the exhibit. The department also apologised to the victim and her family.