$500K fine after worker loses eye in "horrific" metal plate fall

In WA, a mining fabrication company has been fined $500,000 over an incident in which a falling metal plate led to serious injuries, including the loss of an eye.

The incident

The incident occurred in August 2021 and involved a boilermaker who was employed at G & G Mining Fabrication Pty Ltd’s workshop in Hazelmere — where mining and earthmoving equipment was manufactured, including heavy excavator buckets.

On the morning of the incident, while engaged in fabricating a hook-up assembly for an excavator bucket, a steel plate known as a ‘lug plate’ fell onto the boilermaker’s head.

Used to connect the arm of the excavator to the bucket, the plate weighed more than 500 kg and, using an overhead crane, had been manoeuvred into a horizontal position on another part of the excavator bucket called the V-plate.

While the workers made small tack welds to hold the lug plate in place while it was aligned, the crane remained attached. Turnbuckles were also welded on to provide additional restraint while allowing for alignment of the lug plate.

The crane was then released for use on another job, following a number of requests from workers in an adjacent work area. At this point, the boilermaker considered that the lug plate was secured by the turnbuckles.

The assistant was instructed to cut the turnbuckles, which had been providing additional restraint. When this was being done, the boilermaker placed his head near the base of the plate to assess whether it was perpendicular.

The tack welds failed and the plate fell on the boilermaker’s head. The worker suffered serious head and facial injuries, including multiple skull fractures and the loss of an eye.

WorkSafe WA comment and fine

While G & G Mining Fabrication did have a documented Safe Work Procedure in place, it was concerned primarily with the use of cranes and the hazards arising from suspended loads, and was not utilised or provided to workers — this case illustrating, WorkSafe WA Commissioner Sally North said, the importance of having safe work procedures in place in all workplaces, especially for high hazard activities.

“This was an incident that caused horrific injuries to the boilermaker,” North said. “After the incident, the company developed a procedure specifically for this task and included that an overhead crane must remain connected to the lug plate until an adequate weld is in place.

“Being hit by falling metal objects is one of the highest risks for injuries and fatalities in the manufacturing sector and I encourage leaders working in this sector to consult workers and review their controls in relation to preventing objects from falling.”

G & G Mining Fabrication pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and, by that failure, causing serious harm to a worker and in the Midland Magistrates Court on 19 August, was fined $500,000 (and ordered to pay more than $6500 in costs).

Image credit: iStock.com/malven57. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.