"Electricians blow a fuse over safety problems at Greenbushes lithium mine expansion in WA’s South West" 14 March 2025

Electricians helping to build a third chemical-grade plant at the Greenbushes lithium mine in WA’s South West briefly downed tools last week after fearing they were at risk of electrocution.

Tensions on the ground at Australia’s most profitable lithium mine are amping up following a surge of safety issues.

“Electricians went to go work on a substation, it was live and they weren’t notified of it, so they packed the job up for about five or six hours and went to their cribs,” Electrical Trades Union WA state secretary Adam Woodage told The West Australian.

“They basically said ‘enough is enough’, this isn’t the first serious safety breach.”

Other incidents over the past year have included a ball mill — a hollow cylindrical shell filled with heavy balls to crush and grind ore — abruptly rotating without warning.

Another incident last month involved a large steel beam dislodging and swinging down near a work crew on a mobile platform.

“Workers have told us they don’t feel safe on site, that they’ve lost confidence in management,” Mr Woodage said....

A Talison spokeswoman said the joint venture “is aware of the incidents referenced” to by The West.

“While no personnel were harmed, these incidents should not have occurred. Immediate actions were taken, including temporarily shutting down the affected areas to mitigate risks and ensure safety,” she said.

A spokesman for WorkSafe, which sits within the Department of Energy and Mines, said it was aware of the ball mill malfunction and steel beam incident but not the substation close call that occurred last week.