BHP Billiton has suspended rail services at its Nelson Point operation in
Western Australia, after a worker was injured by a train.
In the past eight months five workers have died on BHP Billiton iron ore
sites in the Pilbara and company spokeswoman Samantha Evans said today
the latest incident was being taken seriously. “We have got a full
investigation team mobilised and travelling to Nelson Point today to start
a thorough investigation,” Ms Evans said. “All the yard activity at Nelson
Point has been suspended at this stage.” It is understood a worker was
treated at the site and taken to hospital for observation after the incident
this morning and was later discharged.
Last week, WA Mines Minister Norman Moore ordered BHP to stop work
on sites issued with breach of practice notices, after 12 such notices were
issued in two weeks.
On April 1, BHP iron ore president Ian Ashby apologised for the fatalities
and said the company was doing everything possible to identify the causes.
A state government report into BHP’s safety procedures at its Pilbara
operations is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Showing posts with label Workplace Incident. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Workplace Incident. Show all posts
Monday, 13 April 2009
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
One dead, four hurt in Hunter Valley railway disaster
A HORRIFIC rail accident in which one man was killed and four others
seriously injured may have been the result of human error.
The Contruction, Forestry, Mining and Electricity Union said today that
the accident in the Hunter Valley late on Tuesday night was likely a result
of a ground crew error. Crews contracted to the Abigroup construction
company were working on a section of rail line at Telarah about 11pm
when a 30-tonne piece of prefabricated track dropped from an on-site
crane, crushing the men below.
Ralph Grigull, whose house backs onto the line, said he was lying in bed
when he heard a crashing sound outside. “It sounded like a truck dumping
its load and then keeling over – you could tell it was an unusual sort of
sound,” he said. “I went outside and one of the lads told me a load had
slipped and that there was a bloke bleeding profusely.” One man died at
the scene, while another two were airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital
with critical arm and leg injuries.
Two others with less serious injuries were taken by road to Maitland
Hospital. It is understood that one of the critically injured men was
undergoing emergency surgery this morning. Police and WorkCover
investigators returned to the scene this morning to examine the dropped
load and the crane.
CFMEUsenior organiser Peter Harris said this morning that from his
conversations with management at the scene, “it would seem there has been
some sort of human error”. “From what I can gather, the employees may
have been trying to remove components from the load while it was under
the control of the crane crew,” he said. Mr Harris explained that a
300-tonne crane like the one used at the site by subcontractor Boom
Logistics would have an operator and a man on the ground controlling the
load. Under
WorkCover guidelines, crane crew members are responsible for the load
and no other workers should be involved until the it is on the ground, Mr
Harris said. If the employees were trying to do something with that load
it’s something that is going to have to be very closely examined,” he said.
Crews who were on the scene at the time have been offered counselling
today. Work on the line, which is used by coal trains and the intercity
passenger service connecting Newcastle with the state’s north-west, began
late last year. It is managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation,
which has contracted the job to Abigroup.
seriously injured may have been the result of human error.
The Contruction, Forestry, Mining and Electricity Union said today that
the accident in the Hunter Valley late on Tuesday night was likely a result
of a ground crew error. Crews contracted to the Abigroup construction
company were working on a section of rail line at Telarah about 11pm
when a 30-tonne piece of prefabricated track dropped from an on-site
crane, crushing the men below.
Ralph Grigull, whose house backs onto the line, said he was lying in bed
when he heard a crashing sound outside. “It sounded like a truck dumping
its load and then keeling over – you could tell it was an unusual sort of
sound,” he said. “I went outside and one of the lads told me a load had
slipped and that there was a bloke bleeding profusely.” One man died at
the scene, while another two were airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital
with critical arm and leg injuries.
Two others with less serious injuries were taken by road to Maitland
Hospital. It is understood that one of the critically injured men was
undergoing emergency surgery this morning. Police and WorkCover
investigators returned to the scene this morning to examine the dropped
load and the crane.
CFMEUsenior organiser Peter Harris said this morning that from his
conversations with management at the scene, “it would seem there has been
some sort of human error”. “From what I can gather, the employees may
have been trying to remove components from the load while it was under
the control of the crane crew,” he said. Mr Harris explained that a
300-tonne crane like the one used at the site by subcontractor Boom
Logistics would have an operator and a man on the ground controlling the
load. Under
WorkCover guidelines, crane crew members are responsible for the load
and no other workers should be involved until the it is on the ground, Mr
Harris said. If the employees were trying to do something with that load
it’s something that is going to have to be very closely examined,” he said.
Crews who were on the scene at the time have been offered counselling
today. Work on the line, which is used by coal trains and the intercity
passenger service connecting Newcastle with the state’s north-west, began
late last year. It is managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation,
which has contracted the job to Abigroup.
Ref: The Daily Telegraph., 25th March 2009
Friday, 20 March 2009
Parents sue over death of son at Ballarat Goldfields
The Courier
13/03/2009
THE parents of the teenager killed at Ballarat Goldfields in December are
suing their son's former employer. Noel and Karen Tuddenham are named
as plaintiffs in court documents lodged with the County Court.
Buninyong-based engineering company Midwest Civil is named as the
defendant.
Mr and Mrs Tuddenham are seeking compensation over the death of their
son Damien Patrick Tuddenham, who was 17 when he was killed on
December 11, last year after being struck by a truck at the Woolshed
Gully gold mine.
The documents, prepared for the Tuddenhams by solicitor Justin Burke
state that a claim for compensation was made on February 9 and that the
claim was acknowledged on February 13 by the Victorian WorkCover
Authority.
The claim seeks compensation pursuant to provisions of the Accident
Compensation Act, and payment for funeral and medical expenses,
interest and costs.
It also states that "at all times the plaintiffs were partly dependent on
the earnings of the deceased".
A date for a hearing in the County Court has not been set.
Damien Tuddenham was working on the surface of the mine near a tailings
storage facility when the accident happened.
He was to have turned 18 this year and planned to buy a Holden ute.
A Holden ute conveyed him from his funeral service in December.
Damien Tuddenham's death was one of 21 workplace deaths in Victoria
last year. Of the deaths, 11 occurred in regional areas.
13/03/2009
THE parents of the teenager killed at Ballarat Goldfields in December are
suing their son's former employer. Noel and Karen Tuddenham are named
as plaintiffs in court documents lodged with the County Court.
Buninyong-based engineering company Midwest Civil is named as the
defendant.
Mr and Mrs Tuddenham are seeking compensation over the death of their
son Damien Patrick Tuddenham, who was 17 when he was killed on
December 11, last year after being struck by a truck at the Woolshed
Gully gold mine.
The documents, prepared for the Tuddenhams by solicitor Justin Burke
state that a claim for compensation was made on February 9 and that the
claim was acknowledged on February 13 by the Victorian WorkCover
Authority.
The claim seeks compensation pursuant to provisions of the Accident
Compensation Act, and payment for funeral and medical expenses,
interest and costs.
It also states that "at all times the plaintiffs were partly dependent on
the earnings of the deceased".
A date for a hearing in the County Court has not been set.
Damien Tuddenham was working on the surface of the mine near a tailings
storage facility when the accident happened.
He was to have turned 18 this year and planned to buy a Holden ute.
A Holden ute conveyed him from his funeral service in December.
Damien Tuddenham's death was one of 21 workplace deaths in Victoria
last year. Of the deaths, 11 occurred in regional areas.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Worker injured in site fall while WorkCover investigate earlier incident
ABC News, Posted 9 hours 12 minutes ago
A man has fallen from scaffolding at the National Gallery of Australia
construction site, injuring his ribs.
Last week two workers were lucky to escape injury at the same site after a
crane dropped a three-tonne concrete panel.
Work Cover representatives were at the site at the time of today's accident .
The Construction Union's Dean Hall says there are safety fears for workers
at the site."We're deeply concerned about the safety, or lack of safety culture,
that Manteena has, particularly their insistance to comply only to the bare
minimum standards," he said."They have an attitude thay they're shooting
from that and they continually point out to us how they're meeting the
minimum standard."
Manteena chief executive Simon Butt says the union is exploiting the situation.
"We feel we're being used by the CFMEU to push a few different barrows at the
moment," he said.
A man has fallen from scaffolding at the National Gallery of Australia
construction site, injuring his ribs.
Last week two workers were lucky to escape injury at the same site after a
crane dropped a three-tonne concrete panel.
Work Cover representatives were at the site at the time of today's accident .
The Construction Union's Dean Hall says there are safety fears for workers
at the site."We're deeply concerned about the safety, or lack of safety culture,
that Manteena has, particularly their insistance to comply only to the bare
minimum standards," he said."They have an attitude thay they're shooting
from that and they continually point out to us how they're meeting the
minimum standard."
Manteena chief executive Simon Butt says the union is exploiting the situation.
"We feel we're being used by the CFMEU to push a few different barrows at the
moment," he said.
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