Underground mining services company Northern Star Mining Services Pty Ltd has been fined $750,000 after a drill operator sustained spinal and leg injuries while working on heavy machinery. This amounts to the second highest workplace safety fine imposed on a duty holder in the WA resources sector.
In January 2023 a drill operator was part of a team repairing and servicing a twin boom Jumbo drill – some of the maintenance task processes required workers to isolate the Jumbo’s power source, and other processes required the drill to be energised for testing and adjusting.
An Isolation and Tagging Safe Work Procedure was in place so workers could identify potential hazards and outline necessary control measures. The procedure required that when testing and adjusting was not required, workers should completely isolate the Jumbo drill’s power and apply a personal danger lock and tag and instructed supervisors to use barricades or hazard tape to exclude workers from the energised Jumbo’s area of operation.
The company did not implement the control measures set out in the procedure due to failings in supervision and direction. On the evening of the incident, when another drill operator tested the left boom, the boom rail moved uncontrollably due to an internal fault The boom rail then swung downwards and struck an employee, causing serious injuries.
Northern Star Mining Services have also previously been fined $700,000 for their part in a 2020 workplace fatality that saw Byrnecut Australia receive the largest WA mining penalty of $800,000. In that incident a loader operator was killed with his vehicle went off the edge of a stope and fell 25 metres.
Read more: WorkSafe WA | Mining company fined after worker suffers serious injuries