Union wants all BHP sites in WA closed after mine deaths
19th March 2009, 14:45 WST
The Australian Worker’s Union want BHP Billiton’s total WA operations closed down and an independent audit conducted following the death of a worker at a Pilbara mine site overnight.
A 45-year-old NSW man died after falling 12 metres from machinery at a mining construction site near Newman this morning.
The accident occurred at a John Holland-run construction site, which is part of BHP Billiton’s iron ore Newman Hub site.
The workers at the Pilbara mine site where the scaffolder was killed are in a meeting this afternoon with union officials, as workers walk off the job at affiliated construction sites across WA.
AWU WA secretary Stephen Price said while this death did not involve a direct employee of BHP, it was too easy for the mining giant to distance itself and blame the contractor for the accident.
“We called for a shutdown and an independent audit back in September and again recently when a track maintenance worker was killed,” Mr Price said.
“The AWU has continually raised our concern about workers being too scared to speak up about safety issues, for fear of reprisal.
“BHP has lost touch with the working environment that their employees, and employees working for contractors on BHP’s behalf, have to accept as part of their employment conditions.
“It’s easy enough to have all the policies on the wall, but they are not worth the paper they are written on if that corporate approach to safety is not the same as the one of the shop floor.”
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union assistant secretary Joe McDonald said John Holland workers at two South-West and four metropolitan sites walked off the job today as a sign of respect for the killed worker.
The death is the second nationally for John Holland in twelve months and the fifth for BHP Billiton in the last nine months.
Mr McDonald said the situation for workers in the North-West was becoming “hellish” and he was furious union officials were not allowed onto the John Holland site.
“It’s getting to the stage where people go to the North-West in an aeroplane and come back in a coffin,” Mr McDonald said.
“Our phones have been running hot about the state of the job up there, if they’ve got nothing to hide they should open the door and let the unions on the job to investigate.
“All unions can get onto the Hub project but they can’t get on to the John Holland section of it because there’s no union agreement. They do this to keep the unions out.
“They’re more interested in making money than the people who work for them. Now we’ve had another death and I think it’s outrageous and John Holland should be held accountable for what they’ve done.”
Mr McDonald said the CFMEU would be calling for a full investigation.
A police spokesman said the man was taken to Newman Hospital just after 3am and later died.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Mines and Petroleum said an investigation was now underway.
“We have inspectors on the way, they will be on site this morning to secure the site and undertake an investigation,” she said.
In a statement released this morning, John Holland said construction work at the site had been suspended.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the employee’s family and work colleagues at this time and support is being provided,” the statement said.
“John Holland has mobilised its incident response team and is co-operating with the relevant authorities.
“The safety of all involved is our top priority.
“Construction work has been suspended at the Newman Hub construction site.”
PERTH
JAYNE RICKARD