THE West Australian safety authorities will no longer issue improvement notices to BHP Billiton if they find safety problems during inspections, saying any breaches will force the worksite to halt work.
This move follows five deaths at BHP Billiton’s Pilbara iron operations in eight months, and 12 improvement notices issued in a fortnight.
While BHP Billiton will continue to produce iron ore 24 hours a day, it has agreed to stop all non-essential night shift work in Pilbara. Construction and maintenance jobs will be moved to day shifts.
Three of the five workers killed on BHP Billiton’s sites were employees of Leighton Holdings, a contractor. BHP says it will seek to improve its management of contractors, and prevent excessive working hours.
The government’s work halt policy will be reviewed after BHP Billiton submits an independent report on its safety practices, due by the end of April.
According to the CFMEU, BHP Billiton has a reactionary rather than preventive approach to safety, and any safety enhancements will need to be accompanied by a culture change.
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