Quarry and refinery hit with fines as WA records 338 mining safety incidents in June, including falls, burns, silica exposure and near-miss events

Western Australia’s mining safety watchdog has released its June incident report, revealing a combined 338 notifiable and reportable incidents across the state’s operations, including several serious occurrences resulting in injuries and substantial corporate penalties.

According to the WorkSafe Mines Safety snapshot, there were 193 notifiable incidents and 145 reportable incidents in June 2025. Compared to May, notifiable incidents were up by 17, while reportable incidents increased by six. The data was published by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) on 16 July 2025.

Kimberley Quarry fined $167,000 over fall from height

In one of the most serious incidents prosecuted this month, Kimberley Quarry Pty Ltd was fined a total of $167,000 after a screening machine operator fell 3.18 metres during a routine task at the Chapman Valley Quarry in June 2022.

The fall occurred while the worker and a less experienced colleague were removing heavy wire screens—each weighing 15 to 30 kg—from a horizontal screener. Critically, no edge protection or fall restraint system was in place. When the worker attempted to throw a screen to the ground, the panel’s wire hooks caught on their jumper, pulling them off the screener.

The resulting injuries included a fractured L2 vertebra, ligament damage, internal bleeding, a sprained wrist and elbow, and a lacerated forearm. The injured worker spent 12 weeks in a back brace and returned to work five months later.

Despite the severity of the fall and the requirement to preserve the site of a notifiable incident, Kimberley Quarry’s site supervisor directed other employees to complete the task before a WorkSafe inspector arrived. This breach of protocol contributed to a $7,000 fine on top of the $160,000 penalty for exposing workers to a risk of death or serious harm.

WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the case underscored the dangers of incomplete procedures.

“Incomplete safe work procedures, such as those that don’t address the life-threatening risks associated with working at heights, are inadequate,” she said.

Kimberley Quarry has since updated its procedures to prohibit climbing onto the screener deck and requires fall protection permits where barriers are not used.

Alcoa fined $400,000 for caustic spill injuring workers, students

Another major case involved Alcoa of Australia, fined $400,000 for a September 2022 incident at its Kwinana alumina refinery, where an uncontrolled release of hot caustic liquid injured several people—including school students on work experience.

The release occurred during an emergency pump change when a worker unknowingly activated a pump while a discharge drain valve remained open. The caustic liquid sprayed out of a drain, hitting a metal step and splashing onto workers and students nearby.

All received first aid and further medical attention, but the outcome could have been far worse.

“This was a lucky escape,” said Commissioner North. “Companies must ensure all people at a workplace, including work experience students, are kept safe.”

Alcoa pleaded guilty to breaching sections 19(1) and 32(1) of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020.

Silica, flyrock, and vehicle near-miss spotlight ongoing risks

Among the three summarised reportable incidents in the June bulletin:

• A worker at a primary crusher was exposed to respirable silica levels about six times the exposure standard despite wearing a disposable respirator. The site’s health management plan failed to include the worker in its high-risk personnel program, highlighting a shortfall in health monitoring.

• At a blasting operation, two shotfirers narrowly avoided injury when a piece of flyrock struck their vehicle’s windscreen. The rock, estimated at 1 kg, was ejected from a blast hole with insufficient stemming. The incident prompted recommendations to reassess exclusion zones and update explosive management plans.

• A near miss occurred when a dump truck passed within five metres of a stationary light vehicle (LV) in a mine pit. The LV operator had followed correct procedures, but the dump truck driver—misinformed during training—did not verify the vehicle's presence. The incident spotlighted gaps in driver training and traffic management.

Note: Data correct as of 15 July 2025.