The WorkSafe Commissioner has exempted the operators of small, lower-risk mines in Western Australia that meet all of the regulator’s criteria from full Site Senior Executive requirements, allowing them to appoint a Site Senior Executive (Restricted).
A Katrine farm owner has been fined $22,000 (and ordered to pay $4861 in costs) over unsafe controls on a wool press.
Wayne Bradley Ashworth pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and was fined in the Northam Magistrates Court yesterday.
In January 2022, a farm manager was using the wool press to compress fleeces into cubic wool packs.
WorkSafe’s regional, agricultural and industrial inspectors visited 19 regional abattoirs and issued 562 improvement notices and six prohibition notices.
The most common reason for the issue of notices was guarding of machinery (81 notices), followed by provision of safe layout including floor demarcation (52 notices), maintenance and inspection of mobile plant (20 notices) and emergency stops (18 notices).
WorkSafe has commenced prosecution action against a mining maintenance company over the death of a worker at South Boulder in December 2023.
Dalmain Enterprises Pty Ltd – trading as ATS Mining Maintenance – has been charged with failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment and, by that failure, causing the death of a worker.
In December 2023, a worker who was employed as a heavy diesel mechanic was instructed to remove the front axle from a truck, requiring the truck to be jacked off the ground.
The Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety is inviting public submissions on proposed amendments to Western Australia’s dangerous goods safety laws.
Mining services company MLG Oz Limited has been fined $750,000—and ordered to pay $6,702.70 in costs—at Perth Magistrates Court over an April 2022 incident at Evolution Mining (Mungari) Pty Ltd’s Mungari gold mine 20km west of Kalgoorlie in which a heavy diesel mechanic suffered a serious crush injury and a left humerus fracture.
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A sole trader has been fined $15,000 (and ordered to pay more than $2600 in costs) for removing asbestos when he did not have an asbestos removal licence.
Justin Collins pleaded guilty to three counts of carrying out work for which he was not authorised according to regulations and was given a global fine for all three offences in the Perth Magistrates Court on November 21.
A construction company has been fined $350,000 (and ordered to pay more than $6600 in costs) over the death of a 19-year-old worker in 2021.
M Construction (WA) Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court on November 21.
In November 2021, an employee of PAWS Construction and Maintenance Pty Ltd died after suffering a traumatic head injury when he was struck by a sea container drawbridge ramp weighing around 250kg. At the time he was assisting his supervisor to lower the ramp.
Certain imported coloured sand products have been found to contain very low levels of naturally occurring asbestos. The sand products appear to have been mined and quarried overseas from quartz products that contain naturally occurring forms of asbestos. Australian Border Force (ABF) continues to make enquiries to confirm details of the importer(s) and supplier(s) involved.
The coloured sands are intended for use as an educational aid and for arts and crafts.
