Mining Company Fined $575,000 After Apprentice Paralyzed by Wheel Assembly
A mining company was fined $575,000 after an 18-year-old apprentice was paralyzed when an unsecured 750 kg wheel assembly fell on him in 2021.
The following is an abridgement of an article originally published by Safety Solutions.
Incident Summary
In September 2021, an 18-year-old apprentice mechanical fitter was paralyzed after a 750 kg wheel assembly fell on him at the Matilda Gold Open Pit mechanical workshop.
According to WorkSafe WA, the apprentice was retrieving washers from inside the rim of a wheel assembly that a supervising mechanic had left unsecured and upright on the tines of a telehandler. The assembly fell forward, striking and pinning the apprentice to the ground.
Investigation and Penalty
The mining company was fined $575,000 and ordered to pay $2,663.30 in costs. The regulator found the company’s standard operating procedure for changing tyre and rim assemblies lacked specific instructions on how to avoid or minimise pinning and crushing risks.
Following the incident, the company amended its procedures to identify further hazards, add safety requirements, append a competency assessment, and address exclusion zones and transportation protocols.
Regulator Comment
WorkSafe WA Commissioner Sally North stated,
"A young worker suffered a permanent spinal injury and became a paraplegic because the company responsible for their safety had an operating procedure for changing tyre and rim assemblies that was overly generalised and lacked direction. The circumstances of this devastating, life-altering incident were avoidable. This tragic case highlights that the only operating procedures that contribute to safety in Western Australian workplaces are those that provide clear and specific instructions."
