Second workplace death in six years at Bassendean firm ‘clearly a concern’: WorkSafe

A second workplace death in the space of six years at a Bassendean engineering firm is “clearly a concern”, according to the state’s work safety watchdog.

A 45-year-old mature-age apprentice was critically injured when a steel object fell on him at Hofmann Engineering about 2.50pm on Monday.

Three ambulances rushed to the scene under priority one, but were unable to save the man.

It is the second death in six years at the Alice Street company, which was fined more than $500,000 last year over a similar accident in 2019.

Acting WorkSafe Commissioner Jennifer Low said any work-related death was a tragedy.

“It’s clearly a concern to WorkSafe that a second death has occurred at this workplace,” she said.

“WorkSafe will continue to conduct a thorough investigation to identify what caused this incident and whether any potential offences have been committed.

“As always, once the investigation has concluded we will share any learnings with the industry as part of our commitment to supporting safe and healthy work practices in all workplaces.”

In 2019, a worker was killed at Hofmann Engineering when a piece of machinery weighing more than a tonne fell on him while he was working underneath it.

Hofmann Engineering subsequently pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing the death of a worker, and was fined in late 2024.

In that incident, Perth Magistrates Court was told there was no manufacturer’s manual or maintenance logbook kept for the 40-year-old machinery, known as a welding manipulator, and the checks carried out were limited to checking buttons, ensuring the machine went up and down, and that it wasn’t making any unusual noises.

The court was told the welding manipulator had been unused for several years and kept in storage before being put back into service just months before the accident in May 2019.

Independent experts found the threads on nuts that were central to the mechanism’s raising and lowering were worn to such an extent that they were unable to maintain their load, while grease on a “screw drive” mechanism was so contaminated that it was having an abrasive, rather than lubricating, effect on the equipment.

Hofmann Engineering was fined $567,000 and made to pay $28,695 in court costs.

Following the accident, the company developed a guide to visually inspect lead screw and safety nuts on welding manipulators, and trained operators in a new safe operating procedure.

It also installed an emergency fall break system for welding manipulators to prevent the boom falling past a safe point, and uploaded and tracked the servicing and maintenance history of the eight machines at the workplace that used screw drive mechanisms.

WA Police will prepare a report for the coroner regarding Monday’s workplace death.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company said it was fully cooperating with authorities to determine the circumstances surrounding the workplace accident, and support and counselling services were being made available to employees.

“Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of our team member during this difficult time,” the statement said.

“The safety and wellbeing of our employees is our highest priority, and this incident is being treated with the utmost seriousness.”

The family-run business is a manufacturing specialist, with one of its more notable projects being the manufacture of 246 bogie frames for Metronet’s new C-series trains in 2020.

WA Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday extended his condolences to the worker’s family.

“When someone goes to work their families, and they, have a right to expect that they’ll go home that night free of injury, and definitely without loss of life,” he said.

“Many workplaces are inherently dangerous, and that’s why we put so much work into work occupational health and safety, to make sure we can keep people safe in their workplaces.”

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