WA drilling company penalised after employee sustained severe injuries

A Western Australian drilling and exploration company was recently fined $385,000 and directed to pay $5,105.20 in costs, following an incident where a driller's assistant sustained severe crush injuries while working at a West Musgrave mine site in February 2021.

The company admitted guilt in the Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court for not ensuring a safe working environment as required by the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994.

WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the worker was fortunate to have survived the incident.

“Companies must conduct risk assessments to identify the presence of line-of-fire hazards prior to starting a job,” Ms North said.

"They must also adequately instruct, train and assess all workers who are disassembling and assembling equipment to ensure their competence.

“In this instance, the company and the injured worker had not completed a Job Safety Analysis to assess the inherent risk levels and implement corrective measures.”

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