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Category: Electricity Energy and Utilities / States and Territories / Government and Politics

'Human error' to blame for hospital blackout

Monday, 23 Jan 2017 11:10:53

There were frustrations around inoperative traffic lights during the blackout. (ABC News: Tony Hill)

A generator failure at Flinders Medical Centre during South Australia's statewide blackout was most likely due to human error, according to the independent review of September's extreme weather event in South Australia.

A power transmission tower damaged and lying on its side in South Australia.

Photo: Transmission towers were brought down by a cluster of tornados that hit SA's Mid North in September 2016. (ABC News: Dean Faulkner)

It is a finding contained in one of three reports released into the September 28 state-wide power blackout, caused by cyclonic weather conditions damaging vital electricity infrastructure.

The state was plunged into darkness during wild storms which saw a cluster of tornados hit the state's Mid North damaging transmission towers and the interconnector to Victoria fail.

Embryos, waiting to be transferred at a fertility clinic, at Flinders Medical Centre were destroyed as a result of the blackout.

The report has revealed the hospital generator failure was "likely caused by human error in wrongly leaving a control switch off" and that there was a "lack of alarms to notify maintenance staff of an impending shutdown due to a low fuel situation".

The Aurecon report found the hospital's emergency standby power system was actually "in largely good condition, operational and reliable".

"Those pasts of the system that have not been upgraded in the last 10 years will need to be reviewed and plans put in place to renew," it said.

Meanwhile, Port Augusta Hospital was without power due to its generator failing several times within a 24-hour period.

A separate report into the regional hospital's power issues found the generator, which was tested eight days before the blackout, worked initially but failed shortly after due to a high water temperature alarm.

The hospital was without power for about five and a hours due to the 44-year-old generator overheating, having an oil leak, a split rubber hose and unsuitable batteries installed.

It recommended an assessment of the current essential loads at the hospital, monthly testing of the generator, replacement of original pipes and hoses, keeping accurate records of servicing and testing, and replacing the generator due to its age.

Broader emergency management issues also considered

More broadly, the review has covered four key themes surrounding the September weather event: loss of power to the entire state, operational response and coordination, flood risk, and emergency management arrangements.

It said many electricity continuity plans within business and government departments — including emergency services — proved to be inadequate and there was no plan for a wide-spread, extended-duration power outage and its associated consequences.

They included lack of access to food, medications, fuel, credit card payments, cash, telecommunications, essential home appliances and water.

On a positive note, the report said that the egress of thousands of people from the Adelaide CBD in a relatively short period of time was orderly despite the frustrations of access to public transport, inoperative traffic lights, traffic congestion, and poor weather and road conditions.

However, the report suggested there was a need for an evacuation plan for the CBD and backup power for traffic lights.

In relation to emergency management capabilities, the report has described responders providing a "highly professional and capable response", under very trying conditions, however there were issues including planning, staffing, fatigue and roster management, training and information management — and the condition of the emergency centres themselves — that could be improved.

It said emergency relief centres became congested and the ability of these centres to effectively provide physical support and comfort to those seeking relief was severely hampered.

As well, recovery operations in South Australia were described as "somewhat ad-hoc" and inconsistent in the manner in which they are identified and carried out.