Officials from the department visited three Pilbara mining operations which had recently suffered workplace fatalities.
| Date: | Friday, 05 June 2015 |
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Woodie Woodie, Nifty and Telfer mine sites visited by DMP.
Three Pilbara mining operations which experienced workplace fatalities this year have been visited by senior officials from the Department of Mines and Petroleum.
State Mining Engineer Andrew Chaplyn and head of the department’s Investigations Branch Colin Boothroyd travelled to Woodie Woodie, Nifty and Telfer mine sites in the Pilbara this week.
“This gave us an opportunity to meet with workers, safety representatives and senior management and look at the impact these tragic events have had on the ground,” Mr Chaplyn said.
“It was also an opportunity to highlight the shared responsibility we all have for safety in this industry.”
Mr Boothroyd said the three sites had all been subject to separate, thorough investigations by the department’s inspectors immediately following each fatality.
“While the department has released some information about these incidents, the investigation process is ongoing,” Mr Boothroyd said.
“This visit was an opportunity to provide information to some of the people who have been directly affected by these tragedies.”
Mr Chaplyn said the department was committed to supporting improvements to safety across the industry.
“The only way to improve safety is to look at it from a holistic perspective,” he said.
“Improving safety is as much about engaging, educating and empowering workers and industry, as it is about enforcement of regulations.
“You cannot change behaviour through enforcement alone.”
