SmartMove offers a practical way for WA’s new and young workers to learn about potential hazards, understand their rights and responsibilities and feel better prepared for the workplace.
Its industry certificate modules begin with a general module that introduces basic WHS laws, identifies common workplace hazards and outlines key harm-prevention strategies. After completing this foundation unit, participants can progress to one of 17 industry-specific modules tailored to their particular work environments.
Its alternative learning courses—specifically designed for learners with physical, medical or other disabilities—explore major WHS topics in ways that are clear and accessible to diverse groups.
Its information sessions provide anytime access to additional and timely WHS resources about subjects such as working safely in the sun, recycling hazardous waste and addressing workplace bullying.
According to WorkSafe, 12 young workers—defined as employees aged between 15 and 24—lost their lives in WA over the past five years. In WA, one in eight work-related injuries involves young workers, resulting in the loss of more than 27,000 workdays each year.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said that SmartMove’s improved accessibility, functionality and visibility should contribute to better WHS outcomes for WA’s new and young workers.
“SmartMove is already one of Australia’s most visited WHS training websites—the domain recorded 339,396 visitors in the 2024–25 financial year—and its recent technical upgrades should result in even greater levels of user engagement,” Ms North said.
“We are committed to keeping WA’s new and young workers safe at work. Making WHS knowledge part of everyday learning helps prepare WA’s new and young workers to work safely and confidently. SmartMove encourages WA’s new and young workers to see WHS as an essential part of their preparation for employment.”
Visit the SmartMove website.
]]>The Site Senior Executive is the person responsible at the mine. Normally, this role requires formal qualifications and a full examination. To support small, lower-risk mines, WorkSafe has developed a simpler alternative, the Small Mine Statutory Position Assessment (SMSPA), which offers a time-efficient and resource-friendly way for eligible operators to meet their regulatory obligations.
WA mining work health and safety law, which comprises the Work Health and Safety Act 2020, the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 and codes of practice, applies to every mine, but the SMSPA allows the operators of small, lower-risk mines to meet their regulatory obligations proportionate to their risk levels. A simple sand pit on a farm doesn’t require the same systems or processes as an open-cut gold mine.
The exemption applies to the operators of mines that meet all the following criteria:
The exemption, which is valid until 1 April 2031, and the SMSPA, which WorkSafe developed following feedback from industry stakeholders, embody an agile approach that reduces administrative burdens on eligible operators without compromising safety. In the short term, WorkSafe will take an educational approach to the requirement for small, lower-risk mines to appoint a Site Senior Executive.
For more information about the exemption, including how to create an account to take the assessment, go to SMSPA's website.
]]>R.G.R. Road Haulage Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the health and safety of other persons was not put at risk by their work and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court on April 13.
Three mining and construction services companies – Resource Operations and Maintenance Services Pty Ltd, Diverse Management Services Pty Ltd and Technologies International Group Pty Ltd (trading as Welltech) - were also fined a total of $770,000 over the same incident in October 2025.
These three companies provide services to the civil mining and construction industry, and all played a role in the construction of earthworks at a mine in the Pilbara.
The earthworks required the use of large amounts of water, and the mine operator requested Resource Operations to provide a water pump known as a “MegaFill pump”, which was procured by Diverse Management from Technologies International Group, the hire company.
The MegaFill pump is a mobile water pump with two booms, an intake boom and a discharge boom. The booms extend out for use and are folded away for storage and secured for transport.
When folded, the booms can unfold and rotate away from the pump if not properly secured, so the intake boom is secured for transport by way of a chain attached to the boom, a travel mount strap placed over the boom and a travel mount bolt attaching the boom to the pump frame. A precautionary strap is applied over the whole machine.
When this work was completed, Diverse Management engaged R.G.R. Road Haulage to transport the pump back to Perth. It was demobilised by Diverse Management workers.
Diverse Management workers placed a rachet strap over the intake boom for transport, but they did not attach the chain or the travel bolt, creating a risk that the boom could rotate during transport.
The pump was later loaded onto a semi-trailer, with the travel strap in place. However, the truck driver failed to place a strap over the entire pump or check to see if the travel mount bolt or holding chain had been applied to the intake boom.
When the truck was travelling towards Perth on Great Northern Highway, the ratchet strap securing the intake boom failed and the boom became unrestrained.
At around 9.27pm on July 25, 2022, the intake boom of the pump struck and killed the driver of a truck travelling in the opposite direction just north of Meekatharra.
WorkSafe did not claim that R.G.R. caused the death, however the company did play a part in the incident by failing to ensure the proper restraining of the boom of the water pump that rotated to the other side of the highway during transport.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the incident was a tragic reminder of the importance of ensuring a load that has a part that can rotate is appropriately restrained, especially when transporting large items of plant.
“This case highlights the importance of safe systems of work and ensuring that employees are properly trained in those systems,” Ms North said.
“R.G.R. should have had a system of work in place such as an enforced checklist requiring drivers or loaders to check if all moveable parts are restrained according to the instructions of the manufacturer, with drivers appropriately trained in how to achieve this.
“Reasonably practicable measures could have been taken to reduce the risk of the boom coming free and putting other road users at risk.”
R.G.R. and its director were also fined a total of $400,000 in March 2025 over another incident, pleading guilty to failing to maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm to a worker.
]]>Wayne Bradley Ashworth pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and was fined in the Northam Magistrates Court yesterday.
In January 2022, a farm manager was using the wool press to compress fleeces into cubic wool packs.
He had just ejected a full wool pack from the machine when, by an unknown means, the press activated while his upper body was between the press plate and the body of the machine, resulting in a fatal neck injury.
The prosecution did not allege that the machinery safety issue caused the fatality.
At the time of the incident, the wool press was more than 30 years old and did not have controls installed that required the use of both hands to protect against the risk of inadvertent activation by the operator.
When the press plate was in its fully raised position, the unguarded area between the press plate and the body of the wool press (the pinch point) was exposed to the operator.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said today that risks of a person being caught in machinery must be identified and controlled.
“The wool press involved in this incident exposed the operator to the risk of having a body part crushed, with the added hazard of the emergency stop controls placed out of reach,” Ms North said.
“This case presents an important reminder to all workplaces with machinery of the importance of checking that controls meet contemporary standards.
WorkSafe, part of the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety, has a code of practice “Managing the risk of plant in the workplace” available on its website, which outlines the hazards associated with machinery and practical ways to comply with work health and safety laws.
]]>The most common reason for the issue of notices was guarding of machinery (81 notices), followed by provision of safe layout including floor demarcation (52 notices), maintenance and inspection of mobile plant (20 notices) and emergency stops (18 notices).
The most common tool used in the industry and the cause of the most lost time injuries is the knife, and the usage and care of knives was the primary focus of the inspection program.
Common issues relating to knives included workers walking around with knives, knives being left unsecured around the workplace, workers sharpening knives near other workers, and workers using damaged knives.
The best practice system seen in workplaces involved asset tracking, where workers received a sharp, sterilised knife at the start of their shift and returned the knife at the end of the shift for resharpening and storage.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the inspection program had improved safety standards across the meat processing industry.
“The high number of notices issued at abattoirs illustrated that safety issues were widespread in the industry,” Ms North said.
“The workplaces involved have now been required to put additional safety measures in place to keep their workers safe.
“It’s evident that the program has raised awareness of the common workplace hazards and risks in abattoirs, and that work health and safety standards across the meat processing industry have been improved as a result of this inspection program.
“WorkSafe will continue to monitor safety standards in this sector.”
A snapshot of the program’s findings and a checklist for the industry are available on the WorkSafe website at Health and safety snapshot: Abattoir - Meat Processing Project and Abattoir safety: Checklist.
]]>Justin Collins pleaded guilty to three counts of carrying out work for which he was not authorised according to regulations and was given a global fine for all three offences in the Perth Magistrates Court on November 21.
Mr Collins was previously prosecuted for the same type of offence in August 2024 and was fined $10,000.
The work in this case was carried out on three dates in November 2023 and April 2024 in Armadale, Morley and Ferndale, with Mr Collins’ company trading under a number of business names including JC Asbestos and Demolition.
In all three cases, the owners of the properties engaged Mr Collins, one to remove an asbestos shed and the two others to remove fencing, and to dispose of the asbestos in all cases.
Mr Collins told all three owners that he held an asbestos removal licence, but he was neither the holder of the licence he quoted nor was he operating on behalf of that licence holder.
Mr Collins did not inform LGIRS WorkSafe of the work in advance, preventing any proactive management, and asbestos containing materials remained at all three locations after the work.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the case should serve as a warning to anyone considering undertaking the handling of asbestos that licences are required to remove and dispose of asbestos.
“It’s also a reminder to anyone considering engaging an asbestos removalist to first check on the Service WA app or the LGIRS WorkSafe website that the contractor holds the appropriate licence,” Ms North said.
“Licence holders must undertake the appropriate training and must demonstrate they have the skills to do the job safely and not endanger themselves or anyone else in the vicinity of the removal and disposal.
“In addition to checking that the contractor holds a licence, I’d encourage the sighting of photo identification and a check with the worker’s company to ensure the worker is actually employed by them.
“As a property owner or employer, it’s important to make asbestos identification and removal part of a business plan, as an incident or extreme fire or weather event creates risk and is expensive to clean up.
“By planning ahead to proactively remove asbestos from your workplace, you can reduce ongoing management costs and the risk of the material being disturbed.
“This case demonstrates that there are people who are willing to repeatedly undertake work for which they do not hold a licence, and a simple check of a licensing data base and the contractor’s photo identification should prevent the problems that can result from unlicenced, unsafe work.”
November 24-30 has been National Asbestos Awareness Week – reminding Australians to “Think Twice About Asbestos”.
(Please note that the person fined is not the Justin Collins, Certified Occupational Hygienist, who is employed by Occuhealth Pty Ltd.)
]]>A sole trader has been fined $10,000 (and ordered to pay $4000 in costs) for removing asbestos fencing when he did not have an asbestos removal licence.
Justin John Collins pleaded guilty to having carried out work when he was not authorised to carry out that class of work and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court last Friday.
In April 2022, Mr Collins removed and disposed of 41 metres of asbestos fencing from between two houses in Beckenham after telling the property owners that he was licensed to do so.
A fencing contractor who was later engaged to install a Colorbond fence discovered pieces of asbestos fencing in the ground and ceased work.
Mr Collins subsequently told the owners he did not have to remove the asbestos that was below the ground, and the owners reported the matter to WorkSafe.
It was found that Mr Collins did not hold an asbestos removal licence, and he was prosecuted under the Work Health and Safety Act.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the case should send out a clear warning that licences are required to remove and dispose of asbestos.
“Licensing requirements for asbestos removal are in place for a very good reason,” Ms North said.
“Licence holders must undertake the appropriate training and must demonstrate they have the skills to do the job safely and not endanger themselves or anyone else in the vicinity of the removal and disposal.
“It’s important for anyone considering engaging an asbestos removalist to first check on the Service WA app or the WorkSafe website that the contractor holds the appropriate licence.
“And I’d encourage sighting of photo identification such as a driver’s licence and a check with the worker’s company to make sure the worker is actually employed by the company.
“As a property owner, it’s important to be proactive and make asbestos identification and removal part of your business plan.
“By planning ahead to proactively remove asbestos from your workplace you can reduce ongoing management costs and the risk of the material being disturbed through and incident or an extreme weather or fire event.
“This kind of incident creates risk and is expensive to clean up.”
(Please note that the person fined is not the Justin Collins, Certified Occupational Hygienist, who is employed by Occuhealth Pty Ltd.)
Media Contact: Caroline De Vaney, 0408 927563 (media enquiries only).
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