AWU demands BHP shutdown in WA

Date: 05 September 2008

The Australian Workers' Union is calling for a complete shutdown of all BHP's Iron Ore operations in Western Australia following the third death at a BHP site in about 6 weeks, and the 2nd in two weeks at Yandi.

" The AWU is concerned that the workforce on site feels so little respect from their management - and are scared for their personal job security because of the rampant individual contracts - that no one felt able to speak up about their safety concerns," Stephen Price, AWU Western Australia Secretary, said.

The latest death of a 19 year old happened late yesterday at BHP Billiton's Yandi iron ore operations 140 kilometres north-west of Newman.

" The AWU believes a full safety audit must be conducted by an independent investigator with all parties involved, across all of their Iron Ore Operations," Stephen Price said.

" The audit needs to take in the safety culture of the sites, as well as the safety procedures and training that are currently in place.

" The AWU is offering one of Australia's most trusted OHS specialists, Dr Yossi Berger, to be involved in the safety audit.

" Dr Berger - who has several decades of experience working on mine safety issues - is the AWU's widely respected OHS unit director.

" The early information the AWU has received indicates that there were issues with dust suppression at the Yandi facility on the ramp and in the pit where this fatality occurred.

" If this is the case, the union wants to know why wasn't production shut down until the dust issue was resolved? Why didn't the operator's park up until the dust issue was fixed?

" We are concerned that many of the workers on site were actually too scared to raise the issue because the majority of the workforce are on individual AWA contracts and not protected by a quality collective agreement.

" These guys on AWAs know they can lose their jobs just by saying the wrong word at the wrong time," Stephen Price said.

For further information

Contact:	Stephen Price
Union:	AWU, WA Secretary
Phone:	08 9221 1686
Contact Mobile:	0417 006 101
WWW:	http://awu.net.au/

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