WorkSafe

A timber processing company has been fined $385,000 (and ordered to pay $5976.70 in costs) after a worker was seriously injured in 2022.

Wesbeam Pty Ltd, a manufacturer and distributor of laminated veneer lumber, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that fixtures, fittings or plant were safe and, by that failure, causing serious harm to the worker. The company was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court last week.

In April 2022, a Wesbeam employee was monitoring conveyors in the control room of the company’s premises in Neerabup when he left that room to attend to a blockage.

A South-West landscaping company has been fined $175,000 (and ordered to pay $6000 in costs) over an incident in which a worker was seriously injured.

SJK Landscaping Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm to a worker, and was fined in the Bunbury Magistrates Court last week.

In July 2022, two employees of SJK were sent to the Treehouse Child Care Centre in Donnybrook to clean the gutters and perform some other gardening services at the centre.

Alcoa of Australia Limited was today fined $400,000 and ordered to pay costs of $5536.70 after workers received burns from an uncontrolled release of caustic solution at the company’s Kwinana alumina refinery.

The group of people affected by the September 2022 incident included school students on a work experience placement at the site.

Alcoa pleaded guilty in the Rockingham Magistrate’s Court for failing to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA).

Businesses and undertakings must notify the regulator of certain incidents that arise out of the conduct of a business or undertaking at a workplace. The Interpretive guidelines - Incident notification will help you decide when and how to notify a work-related death, injury, illness or dangerous incident (further notification requirements apply to mines and petroleum and geothermal operations – see Parts 2 and 3 of the guideline).

On 24 October 2022, a tanker trailer carrying an ammonium nitrate emulsion (ANE) caught fire then exploded on the Great Central Highway, approximately 150 kilometres east of Laverton. 

The road train consisted of a prime mover, a dolly and two aluminium tanker trailers containing approximately 34 tonnes (rear trailer) and 27 tonnes (front trailer) of ANE. 

This application is for a person seeking to be recognised as a ‘competent person’ to conduct plant design verification under the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022.

If an applicant has acquired through training, qualification or experience the knowledge and skills to inspect the plant and is eligible for professional engineer membership of Engineers Australia this form will not need to be completed.

WorkSafe will consider recognising applicants who do not meet these requirements only in exceptional circumstances.

At 13:43 on Friday 15 May 2009, a fuel tanker was unloading petrol into underground tanks at a suburban service station when a fire started at the fill point. The fire spread to the tyres of the tanker and later to its rear fuel compartments. Two of the rear compartments ruptured during the fire. One of the ruptures created a large fireball (about 60 m high and 20 m in diameter) that extensively damaged the petrol station building and associated infrastructure.

Fortunately, no-one was injured in the incident.

This form is to be completed and lodged with Dangerous Goods Safety within 21 days of a reportable situation unless otherwise agreed with a Dangerous Goods Officer. 

Reporting incidents is important as it assists with timely investigations, the prevention of incidents through raising awareness of incident trends and the publication of learnings from investigations. Failure to report a reportable situation is an offence under the Act and regulations.