Apart from the managing director, no one wanted to be responsible for the disaster on the second day of the trial about the fatal chemical accident in the AustroCel plant in Hallein. On June 2, 2021, a worker (54) died because a high-pressure pipe exploded and hot sulfur dioxide escaped. The tube was only 1.8 millimeters tight instead of three millimeters and was corroded. Maintenance and checks? None!
Who exactly was responsible for checking the pipe was also discussed intensively on Thursday. If you follow the statements in the process, there were no clear regulations for this in the company. “Before the accident, you didn’t think anything,” says a technician. One executive explained: “I spoke to long-time employees after the accident. Nobody could remember that work had ever taken place on this system.” Particular attention was paid to the role of a TÜV inspector. He was unceremoniously cross-examined. For many years, the graduate engineer checked the pressure vessels of the pulp mill and the associated pipes. But he did not inspect the section where the accident happened. “I was told by the company that these were pipes with a low hazard potential!” Therefore he was not legally obliged to test them. The judge then wanted to know: “And you relied on it?” The technician said: “There was no reason to doubt it!” before and don’t want to have seen that?” The engineer said no. Otherwise he would have warned against it. A defense attorney asked, “Do you really think you did everything right?” The engineer asked if he needed to answer the question. Then he said: “I don’t think I made a mistake!” The visibly irritated victim’s lawyer recommended that the prosecutor also investigate the TÜV examiner – because of false statements and negligent homicide. Adjourned!
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