The state’s workplace safety regulator has initiated legal action against mining companies over work fatalities, under new laws which increased the maximum penalty to $3.5 million.
The state’s workplace safety regulator has initiated legal action against mining companies over work fatalities, under new laws which increased the maximum penalty to $3.5 million.
WorkSafe has initiated three prosecutions over two fatalities involving mining companies under the Work Health and Safety Act.
The Act came into effect in March 2022, but WorkSafe said the three prosecutions initiated were the first cases over workplace fatalities under the new laws.
Contractor MACA Mining and mine operator Greenmount Resources were charged with failing to ensure the health and safety of workers at work, which resulted in the death of a worker.
WorkSafe alleged a MACA employee at Greenmount Resources’ Karlawinda mine, south-east of Newman, suffered fatal injuries in October 2022 when a dump truck crashed with the vehicle the worker was parked in.
Greenmount Resources is a wholly owned subsidiary of Capricorn Metals.
The matter has been scheduled for a first mention at Newman Magistrates Court on December 10.
The maximum penalty for the offence is a $3.5 million fine.
WorkSafe will also allege RUC Cementation Mining Contractors failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers, causing the death of an employee and exposing another to the risk of death or injury.
It is alleged two employees of RUC Mining Contractors were dismantling a cutting tool attached to a drill at the bottom of a ventilation shaft at the St Ives underground mine in Kambalda when one of the workers was killed by falling rocks in October 2022.
Perth company RUC was a wholly owned subsidiary of Murray & Roberts, the South African company that previously owned Clough.
Canada-headquartered Redpath Mining acquired RUC in May 2024.
The maximum penalty for the offence causing death is $3.5 million, while the maximum penalty for exposure to risk of death or injury or harm is $1.8 million, WorkSafe said.
The matter is set for a mention at Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on November 18.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the updated work health and safety laws carried more serious penalties than the previous legislation.
“All work-related fatalities are unacceptable, and employers must comply with their obligations under work health and safety laws,” she said.
"The consequences for not ensuring safe and healthy workplaces are now more serious than ever.
“I encourage all workplace leaders to regularly review their systems of work in consultation with workers to identify risks and ensure that controls are working as intended."
