Neerabup explorer Orbit Drilling and Bayswater engineering company B&Y Precision Engineering have been fined a combined $456,000 for a workplace death and injury by the state's workplace regulator.
Neerabup explorer Orbit Drilling and Bayswater engineering company B&Y Precision Engineering have been fined a combined $456,000 for a workplace death and injury by the state's workplace regulator.
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety division WorkSafe fined Orbit Drilling $256,000 over an incident where a contractor died after he was hit by a large pipe wrench.
In May 2018, the man was working near Leonora when he and a supervisor were changing the function of one of the drill rigs in a workshop.
The workers were using a 48-inch Stillson wrench to try and release a bound thread on part of the drill, trying several times without success.
On the sixth attempt, the supervisor inadvertently placed the rotation lever for the drill out of neutral and into forward position, which caused the wrench to swing around.
The swinging Stillson hit the contractor in the head as he stepped forward to reposition another wrench, causing serious head injuries.
He died in hospital 11 days later.
WorkSafe WA Commissioner Darren Kavanagh said Orbit Drilling did not have specific written procedures in place to protect workers, and its workers were not provided with the specific tools for the job.
“In addition, neither worker was wearing appropriate personal protective equipment such as a safety helmet or ear protection,” he said.
“The hazard was a person working in the vicinity of the Stillson wrench which was attached to a part of the drill that was being rotated under hydraulic power, and the employer failed to take any effective action to assess the risk and put safe work procedures in place.
“After this incident, Orbit took several steps to reduce the risk of another injury or death of this type – unfortunately too late for this man, his workmates, family and friends.”
Orbit was ordered to pay $3,320 in costs.
The company was also fined $750,000 in 2010 for a 2006 death of a worker who was driving a truck with faulty brakes.
B&Y Precision Engineering, which trades as De Cassan Industries, was fined $200,000 after a worker’s arm was amputated below the elbow.
In October 2018, a B&Y employee was polishing a steel shaft to reduce its diameter so a bearing could be slid onto it.
He did so by attaching the shaft to a manual lathe, placing an emery cloth around the shaft and holding the ends of the cloth in each hand while the shaft rotated.
While performing this task, the emery cloth and the glove on the worker’s hand became entangled in the rotating shaft of the lathe, drawing the worker in.
His left arm had to be amputated just below the elbow, his skull was fractured and ligaments were damaged in his neck.
Mr Kavanagh said the case provided a reminder that safe work practices should be in place, beginning with identification of hazards.
“The potential risk involved in using gloves and a length of emery cloth for polishing on manual lathes where either the gloves or cloth could become caught in the rotating lathe had not been identified or assessed,” Mr Kavanagh said.
He said the company had not conducted any risk assessments in relation to polishing on manual lathes and there were no verbal or written procedures in place prohibiting the wearing of gloves.
“This was coupled with a lack of adequate training for workers performing this task,” he added.
“New safety measures were put into place after this incident, sadly too late for the worker who suffered a devastating and permanent injury.
B&Y conducted a risk assessment after the incident and created written procedures that included prohibiting the wearing of gloves when working with lathes.
Safety signage was also installed close to the lathes.