A worker at Mineral Resources’ (ASX:MIN) CSI Mining Services Kwinana facility reportedly lost their hand after being injured by a lathe in the mining manufacturing workshop.
The West Australian reports the incident occurred last Friday morning (28 August), causing operations at the Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) workshop to shut down before reopening the following Monday.
“Ambulances attended and the incident was reported to WorkSafe WA,” a MinRes spokesperson says.
“Our immediate concern is for the injured employee, and our focus is on supporting them, their family, and colleagues.”
The incident is subject to an ongoing investigation. The MinRes spokesperson says there is no further comment at this time.
WorkSafe WA confirms that an investigation is ongoing after the worker suffered serious hand injuries.
“Investigators attended and secured the scene and are continuing to make preliminary inquiries into the incident,” a WorkSafe WA spokesperson says.
A lathe is a machine tool that spins material on an axis while a cutting tool removes material — typically creating symmetrical, cylindrical shapes.
Pilz Safe Automation reports that lathe hazards are serious, with metal lathes spinning at high speeds and items being fabricated sometimes throwing off hot, sharp pieces of metal. Some metal lathes can operate at more than 6,000 revolutions per minute.
Common injuries for lathe users include foreign bodies in the eye, fractured fingers, lacerations to the hands and fingers, head and deep tissue injuries caused by being drawn into the spinning chuck, and lead screws caught on loose clothing.
In the 2023–24 financial year, Safe Work Australia reports 14,700 claims made regarding workplace health and safety. Within that figure, 3,300 claims came from the mining industry.
Median compensation paid across all industries for this period was $16,300, while median compensation paid for mining industry claims was $36,400.
Ten fatalities occurred in the mining sector in 2024, within a total of 188 deaths from workplace incidents.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Mineral Resources
