K19 Mining Pty Ltd has been fined $350,000 plus costs of $4,568.70 after a worker suffered nerve damage and hearing loss when knocked unconscious by a road-train tyre that exploded while being reinflated.
The company pleaded guilty in the South Hedland Magistrates Court on 21 November 2024 to failing to ensure the safety of a worker and by that contravention causing serious harm under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020.
The incident occurred on an access road at the Kalium Lakes Beyondie mine around 160 kilometres south-east of Newman in July 2022, with the injured man working for contractor K19 Mining.
Kalium Lakes Potash Pty Ltd had engaged K19 Mining to provide services at the Beyondie mine.
The road train was parked off the access road after the driver heard a noise coming from the truck. Two workers travelled from the mine site to attend to the vehicle and, after diagnosing the issue, began greasing the pivot points.
During this process, one of the men noticed the truck had a flat inner tyre on the rear axle that had come off its bead. Upon completing the initial repair work, the workers turned their attention to the deflated tyre.
The men did not complete a Job Hazard Analysis prior to fixing the tyre and K19 Mining had not provided the injured man with any training prior to the incident beyond a basic site induction.
The workers jacked up the road train and removed the outer tyre to gain access to the inner wheel. The deflated inner tyre was inspected in situ on the truck and the men did not see any damage.
Having connected a one-metre inflation hose to the truck’s air compressor, the workers started re-inflating the tyre. Both men were positioned in the line of fire in front of the tyre when it was being inflated.
During inflation, when the pressure gauge reached around 70 pounds per square inch (PSI), the tyre exploded.
The percussive blast propelled one of the workers backwards, knocking him unconscious for around four minutes. The force blew off his safety glasses and hard hat, tore his shirt and caused numerous small wounds.
Upon regaining consciousness, the injured man was in extreme pain and unable to sit up. The worker has undergone surgery and is still suffering health effects from the incident.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the worker was incredibly lucky to be alive.
“It is common industry knowledge that a tyre explosion can result in a sudden release of stored energy known as a percussive blast,” Ms North said.
“Workers should not be in the line of fire when reinflating tyres and should be using tyre cages in a controlled environment.
“There are a number of measures K19 Mining could have taken to significantly reduce the risk to the workers.”
Following the incident, Kalium Lakes implemented a new procedure that required tyre re-inflation to occur in K19 Mining’s on-site workshop. Kalium Lakes also ensured tyre cages were available in the area.
K19 Mining purchased 15-metre air hoses to allow workers to stand outside an exclusion zone.
Tyre safety information is available on DEMIRS’ website.