Fatal WA accident- Workers walk off job

Western Australia's construction union says hundreds of workers on John Holland sites around the state have walked off the job after the death of an employee in the Pilbara.

A 45-year-old man died in hospital this morning from injuries he suffered when he fell from a significant height at a BHP-Billiton construction site in Newman.

The man is understood to be from New South Wales and was employed by John Holland.

Joe McDonald from the Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union says it is the company's second work-related death this year.

"All of John Holland's Perth sites - Bluewater, Worsley, Performing Arts Centre, Hollywood Hospital, Centrak Law Courts, the Airport, they've walked off the job out of respect for a fallen worker. So all jobs have stopped for today," he said.

It is the fifth death at a BHP Pilbara mine site in the past eight months.

In February, a worker was killed when he was hit by a train on the company's Tabba line, 74 kilometres south of Port Hedland.

That death is still being investigated by the Department of Mines and Petroleum.

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Thu 19th March 2009 - 07:25pm