AMSJ » Dyno Nobel cops $250K fine for EWP death at Telfer
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Dyno Nobel cops $250K fine for EWP death at Telfer

EWP basket fatal incident
Dyno Nobel has been fined $250K for the death of a 28 year old mine worker at Telfer gold mine in 2015

Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific has been fined $250K and ordered to pay costs of around $30K after a guilty plea in the Perth Magistrates Court. The fine was related to the EWP death of 28-year-old Joshua Martin at the Telfer Gold mine on 15th May 2015.

It is believed that Joshua was using an elevated work platform (EWP) and was fatally injured when the charge up basket he was in moved forward and upwards, crushing him against the roof of the cross-cut where he was working.

The Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) said at the time of the incident ‘It appears Joshua was leaning over the front of the EWP basket when he accidentally activated the control stick for raising and lowering the basket. An offsider was working in front of the basket to help guide the charge-up hose into the blast holes.’

The regulator identified that the direct cause was attributed to Joshua leaning over the front of the charge-up basket, in a restricted working space, when the basket moved upwards.

Contributory causes for the EWP death included:

Nature of task

  • Work from a charge-up basket is often undertaken at the front of the basket, so the worker can reach the charge-up hose.
  • Rill slopes can restrict forward movement of the charge-up basket and result in the basket being close to the roof.

Design of basket controls

The control panel is located at the front of the EWP basket. Pushing the control stick forward raises the charge-up basket. The fail-safe switch for the controls is located on top of the control stick so that a downward force on the top of the control stick can activate the fail-safe switch and allow the control stick to move forward.

Procedural

The operating procedure did not identify the potential crush hazard. At this mine, charging-up was typically carried out by a single person. The offsider assisting at the time of the accident had not been tasked with spotting and was not trained to use the EWP.

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