Dampier Salt Limited was today fined $20,000 and ordered to pay $6,283 in costs after a worker’s head and neck became trapped while working at height at the company’s Port Hedland salt operations.
In July 2018, two contractors were using an elevating work platform (EWP) to inspect the underside of a large salt stacker. A third man was working at ground level as the leading hand and spotter.
The McGowan Government’s new Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws begin tomorrow improving protections for all Western Australian workers.
A national first, the new laws bring together WHS for general industry, mines and petroleum operations under a single act.
BHP Iron Ore Pty Ltd was today fined $125,000 after a contractor suffered a lacerated artery from being struck in the neck by a metal shard in September 2017.
The incident occurred while the contactor was working on an excavator during routine maintenance works at BHP’s Whaleback iron ore mine located about six kilometres from Newman.
BHP pleaded guilty in the South Hedland Magistrates Court after being charged with causing serious harm to an employee and failing to provide a workplace where employees were not exposed to hazards.
Rio Tinto Exploration Pty Ltd was today fined $80,000 and ordered to pay $7,500 in costs after three workers were exposed to extreme conditions without proper training.
The company pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court for failing to ensure the safety of employees.
On 14 October 2017, two workers and a supervisor were searching for proposed drill sites in rugged terrain while working at Mount Windell in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The work took place over two days in temperatures estimated to be higher than 37°C.
Sandfire Resources Ltd has been fined $551,250 and ordered to pay $4,670 in costs after a rock fall pinned a worker to an elevated basket he was working in at the company’s DeGrussa underground mine.
As the principal employer, Sandfire Resources pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court on 15 November 2023 to failing to take appropriate measures to ensure workers at the mine were not exposed to hazards.
Follows McGowan Government's response to sexual harassment and assault in WA’s mining sector.
A landmark study into mental health and workplace culture across Western Australia's mining sector has released two reports with its preliminary findings.
Curtin University’s Centre for Transformative Work Design is undertaking the four-year study to gather and evaluate data on sexual assault, harassment, mental health, drug and alcohol use, and emerging mine safety issues.
Funding worth nearly $1.2 million to strengthen responses to sexual harassment and respect on mine sites.
Government remains committed to building a workplace culture of respect and safety for women.
Funding forms part of the McGowan Government’s Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) program.
Four new funding packages worth nearly $1.2 million are set to further strengthen the McGowan Government’s commitment to the safety of Western Australian mine workers.
Streamline WA, in collaboration with the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety and the Department of Water and Environment Regulation, is progressing a high-level, end-to-end approvals process map as part of the Mining Environmental Approvals project.
The ChemCentre is seeking to collaborate with mining companies to build a more comprehensive database of the water quality in Western Australia’s (WA) mine pit lakes.
The Mine Pit Lakes – their Characterisation and Assessment for In-Situ Metal Recovery Opportunities and Cost-Effective Environmental Management study is a three-year project led by ChemCentre in collaboration with the CSIRO, the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER).
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s (DMIRS) latest approvals performance report shows the department met all of its key approval processes within target timelines.
Notable fourth quarter results included the department finalising 96 per cent of mineral exploration licence applications within the 65 business day target, up from 86 per cent in the first quarter. The time taken to finalise the exploration licences averaged 37 business days, down from 47.9 business days in the first quarter.
