The company was ordered to pay $1.1 million to 10 of its workers for the trauma they suffered in the explosion at the Longford gas plant. Supreme Court judge Philip Cummins also ordered the company to pay $270,000 to 10 family members of those workers.

The awards, announced by Justice Cummins in the Victorian Supreme Court, follow payments of more than $1 million to the families of the two men killed when an explosion tore apart a section of the Esso plant.

Esso had previously been found guilty of 11 breaches of the Occupational Safety Act and fined $2 million over the explosion, which also caused massive disruptions to gas supplies.

The judge's orders covered 20 staff and members of their families who had suffered various forms of post-traumatic stress.

The payments ranged from $150,000 for senior secretary Angela Jones to the $20,000 awarded to the wife of an operations adviser.

Justice Cummins said the character, dignity and honesty of the compensation applicants impressed him. "All of them are a credit to themselves, a credit to their community and a credit to Esso Australia as an employer."

Esso said it would not comment on individual payouts, but would accept the court's judgement.

Last week the Barrett Burston Malting business won a $1.1 million plus interest compensation claim in Victoria's Supreme Court against Esso, arising from a 10 day halt in production after it lost its gas supply in 1998.