Action on Oswal ticking time 'bomb' MINES inspectors will issue a safety warning to the operators of a giant fertiliser plant formerly owned by disgraced billionaires Pankaj and Radhika Oswal and labelled a ticking time bomb by worried workers. Two Department of Mines and Petroleum safety inspectors this week visited the plant near Karratha, now owned by Yara Pilbara Fertiliser, for a preliminary investigation into claims the operator did not follow correct reporting procedures when staff raised safety fears. After the two-day investigation the department's resources safety executive director Simon Ridge said Yara would be hit with a notice for failing to report safety concerns "adequately and on time." But he said the inspectors found no "immediate issues" that posed a "significant risk" to personnel or the public. "The department will continue to review its findings from the preliminary investigation," he said. It followed claims in last week's The Sunday Times by workers who feared the plant was so dangerous it could "blow up Karratha." It is one of the world's biggest ammonia facilities, producing 850,000 tonnes of the fertiliser a year. Former worker Damien Martinac, 39, who was sacked last week after taking unauthorised time off, said: "We make liquid ammonia that's highly explosive. This week, Mr Martinac and several workers insisted plant maintenance was substandard, worn parts had caused several fires, and safety complaints to authorities were falling on deaf ears. They also claimed workers were inadequately trained to fight fires. Yara chief executive Mark Loquan said the company was working on safety concerns, but there had been no injury-lost time at the facility for almost 500 days and emergency response training had been provided.