Ex-employees accuse Kimberley service station of hygiene breaches
Former cooks allege Derby Fuels was operating in unhygienic conditions. (Supplied: Steve Pates)
In short:
Two former service station employees in Western Australia's far north accused the business of unhygienic kitchen conditions.
Shell Derby Fuels referred to the hygiene concern as an "isolated incident" and said food safety and hygiene remain its top priority.
What's next?
In the most recent inspection by the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley, Derby Fuels was found to be compliant with all health regulatory requirements.
An outback service station has been forced to make changes to its health and safety practices after two former employees accused it of operating in "disgusting" conditions.
Steve Pates has worked in kitchens all around Australia, but says what he witnessed at a service station in Western Australia's far north earlier this year was beyond anything he had ever seen.
"I have worked in … sheep stations, cattle stations; this is so far beyond disgusting," Mr Pates said.
"It's horrendous … I've never seen a kitchen in that state in all my working career, ever."
Mr Pates was employed as a cook with independently owned Derby Fuels, operating under licence to Shell, in the Kimberley town of Derby, 2,300 kilometres north of Perth.
During his stint working at Derby Fuels for just under a month, he raised concerns about it allegedly operating in unsafe and unhygienic conditions — something the business denies.
Two former cooks raised concerns about the cleanliness of the premises. (Supplied)
'Horrendous' condition
French backpacker Kalifa Diagne had previously worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before travelling to Australia and working as a cook with Derby Fuels for around six weeks mid this year.
While the cook knew it would be worlds away from his time working in France, he said the kitchen "looked like a bin".
"It was really bad [and] really dirty," Mr Diagne said.
Kalifa Diagne says the kitchen at Derby Fuels was unhygienic. (Supplied)
Mr Pates and Mr Diagne also questioned whether some food was safe to consume.
"Anything that's left over at the end of the day is put away in a plastic container, reheated first thing in the morning and put back out," Mr Pates said.
"This food stays in the bain-marie sometimes all day."
In a statement, Derby Fuels said it "strongly rejects" claims that food was unsafe to consume.
Initial inspection finds 'serious non-compliance'
The Shire of Derby-West Kimberley conducted a health inspection of the premises on August 13.
A copy of the inspection report, seen by the ABC, stated "serious non-compliance" with the cleanliness of the premises and food contact surfaces.
It showed Derby Fuels did not comply with temperature control when displaying food and adequately storing food to protect it from contamination.
At the time of the inspection, a shire spokesperson told the ABC it was working with the company to "fulfil their responsibilities under the current food safety legislation".
Claims of being fired after raising concerns
Thirteen days after the inspection, Mr Diagne alleges he was unfairly dismissed via email for raising concerns.
"Having reviewed business requirements, we are not able to offer you any further work on a casual basis due to no further availability of shifts," it read.
"You must vacate the accommodation provided by lunchtime on August 29, 2025."
The following day, Mr Diagne wrote emails to the shire, the Fair Work Commission and Food Standards outlining his concerns.
In a statement, Derby Fuels said, "no employee has ever been dismissed from Derby Fuels for raising legitimate food safety concerns".
Derby Fuels says food safety and hygiene is its top priority. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
Follow-up inspections
In a statement, the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley said it "conducted further site visits to ensure compliance".
"The premises has since been assessed and found to be compliant with all applicable health regulatory requirements," it said.
In a statement, Shell Derby Fuels management said the hygiene concerns were an "isolated incident" but did not respond to questions about how long the premises were in an unhygienic condition.
"Derby Fuels has documented food safety procedures in place, and all staff are expected to comply with them," it said.
"Derby Fuels has an established cleaning schedule, and the kitchen undergoes extensive deep cleaning regularly."
The business said it continued to work closely with the shire "to ensure continuous improvement".