Nickel miner fined $810k over boilermaker's spinal injury

Mining company FQM Australia Nickel, a subsidiary of Canadian Giant First Quantum Minerals, has been fined $810,000 over a 2023 incident that left a worker at its Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine seriously injured. The worker suffered severe spinal injuries when he was struck by an unsecured piece of heavy equipment known as a "Roman shield". Magistrate Rosemarie Myers said the company's poor safety record increased the seriousness of the breach. A Canadian mining company has been fined $810,000 for safety failures that left a West Australian mine worker severely injured. The man was working at the Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine, 500 kilometres south-east of Perth, in March 2023 when he was struck by an unsecured piece of equipment and suffered serious spinal injuries. It is the latest in a string of work safety convictions for mine operator FQM Australia Nickel, a subsidiary of Canadian mining giant First Quantum Minerals, which faced the Albany Magistrates Court for sentencing on Tuesday. The court heard the injured worker had started work at the mine as a mechanical boilermaker just 17 days prior to the incident. He was carrying out maintenance on an industrial conveyor system, alongside two other workers, when he was hit by a heavy plant component known as a "Roman shield" and pinned in place. The worker underwent spinal fusion surgery and 12 months of physiotherapy after the incident, and suffers from ongoing sleep and pain management issues. The court heard one of the workers present was a supervisor, who had been in the position for three days. The prosecutor with the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety, Mark Blundell, said the collective lack of experience meant the risks were not identified, and FQM failed to instruct the workers to properly secure the component, warn them of the risks of uncontrolled movement, or tell them to stay clear of the line of fire. "You have an allocated supervisor who, according to the company, is not qualified in [Job Hazard Analysis]," he said. "It's damning on the accused's position, to compare the crew and the company's supervisor." 'Worsening pattern of conduct' Sentencing the company, Magistrate Rosemarie Myers said FQM's prior convictions had to be taken into account. The company was fined $35,000 in 2020 after a ruptured tank spilled more than 10,000 litres of hot acidic slurry at the Ravensthorpe mine, mirroring a similar 2014 incident where a spill temporarily trapped three people in a control room at the site. Later in 2025, FQM was fined $19,000 after a telehandler rolled, endangering two workers. Mr Blundell urged the magistrate to consider the company's past conduct. "When compared to the previous four convictions, this is worse," he said. "The fine should ensure duty holders keep employees free of well-known hazards." Following the incident, FQM engaged a specialist safety consultant, introduced more comprehensive job hazard analyses, and enhanced training programs for new employees and supervisors. The company has been ordered to pay more than $11,000 in costs. The Ravensthorpe nickel operation was once the biggest employer in the small coastal town but folded a year after the incident, with fewer than 50 employees now left at the site under care and maintenance. ABC Great Southern — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Thursday