Laing O’Rourke will be the first of seven companies to stand trial over
allegations it failed to maintain a safe work environment when a deadly
cyclone tore through one of its regional Western Australian base camps
in 2007.
Two people were killed and seven others seriously injured when Cyclone
George swept through the base of mining firm Fortescue Metals, where
Laing had been appointed to construct and maintain an iron ore railway.
The UK-based contractor, which is facing two charges for breaches of safety,
could be hit with fines of up to £400,000.
Laing O’Rourke will face the West Australian Magistrates Court on 5 October,
with the trial expected to last more than three weeks.
WorkSafe WA said it was prosecuting the contractor for “failing to provide
and maintain a safe work environment, and by that failure, causing serious
harm to an employee and an employee of the contractor”. Each charge has
a maximum penalty of £197,000, but neither relates to the two deaths on
the site.
Laing O’Rourke’s case will be followed by trials against international
consultancy WorleyParsons, to be heard in November, and Australian
civils firm BGC Contracting, which will go to court next March.
Trials for Fortescue Metals – owned by Andrew Forrest, one of Australia’s
wealthiest men – its subsidiary The Pilbara Infrastructure and facilities
management firms Spotless Services and Spotless P&F will be spread
throughout 2010.
More than 40 charges were brought against the seven companies involved
at the site following a 16-month investigation by the safety regulator.
WorkSafe WA commissioner Nina Lyhne said: “The large number of charges
brought against a number of entities demonstrated the breadth of occupational
safety and health responsibilities”.She would not comment further until after
the trial.
Cyclone George hit Western Australia’s Pilbara region in March 2007.
Workers Debra Till, 47, and Craig Allen Raabe, 42, were killed and 28 people
injured – seven seriously – after winds of up to 275 km/h destroyed the camp.
Laing O’Rourke, which began operations in Australia in 2004, refused to
comment on the matter.
The group’s 2006 acquisition Barclay Mowlem, one of Australia’s multi-
disciplinary construction companies, allowed the group to accelerate its
growth plans on the continent.
It has worked on a range of health and education projects, including
Queensland University of Technology, as well as mine-related
infrastructure.
Written By: Rhiannon Hoyle
Construction News.
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