Balance Agri-Nutrients chief executive Mark Wynne says the company has taken full responsibility for it actions by accepting a fine imposed by the Court following an accidental discharge of sulphur dioxide into the air in May last year.
“The incident happened and we can’t change that. What we have done, is take full responsibility and take every practical step to prevent this from happening again.
“We treat any incidents very seriously and we are completely confident we have minimised the risk of sulphur dioxide discharges at our Mount Maunganui site.
“During the incident our systems shut the plant just as they were designed to do. The key change now is that our safety shutdown systems now cut off at an even lower limit.
Wynne says Ballance’s environmental performance had been steadily improving, and was far superior to what it was a decade ago.
Ballance has invested millions of dollars in environmental, safety and operating upgrades at its Mount Maunganui superphosphate manufacturing plant since 2001. Following the May incident, additional automated safety equipment has been installed and other equipment upgraded.
“These changes followed an immediate and thorough internal investigation supported by expert advice, so we have every assurance our response has been robust.
“As part of our commitment to safety and environment we also undertake annual external audits of our operation here at the Mount to hold ourselves to the highest possible standards,” he says.
The Mount site is accredited to ACC’s highest tertiary level and the international environmental management standard ISO 14001.
