BHP: Port Hedland iron ore train crash caused by poor driver sleep after spider bites in FIFO accommodation

A stressed driver recovering from multiple spider bites had a “degraded level of alertness” before an iron ore train crash at BHP’s Port Hedland site this year, an investigation has found. An iron ore train collided with the rear of another train waiting to be unloaded just after 4.30am, thrusting the stationary carriages forward around 40m over nearly 40 seconds on March 2. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its finding into the incident on Tuesday, where it said there was “no brake application or reduction in throttle” before impact. While there were no injuries or damage, the ATSB found the driver of the train had poor sleeping habits, was stressed and had even fallen asleep before the crash. “The driver set their train in motion, and without the awareness of or memory of having done so, acknowledged four subsequent audible vigilance alerts which, by design, prevented a penalty brake activation prior to collision,” ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said. “The driver reported that they were awoken by the collision, and thought they must have had a microsleep.” The regulator said the driver had been bitten by a white tipped spider twice while staying in fly-in-fly-out accommodation in Port Hedland on two occasions. The first bite was three months before the accident and the second was about seven weeks later. Each of these bites required surgery, rehabilitation and time off work. The investigation found the driver would wake up during rest periods and fall asleep with the lights on. “Upon returning to Port Hedland after the second spider bite, the driver began to experience panic attacks and stress,” Mr Mitchell said. “Fearing another bite, the driver frequently sprayed insecticide in their locomotive cabs and, including waking from sleep to do so, their bedroom.” Mr Mitchell said the spider bites — and the resultant paranoia — disrupted the driver’s ability to rest. “While sleep duration is important, so too is sleep quality,” Mr Mitchell said. “Stress and interrupted sleep should prompt workers to assess and report an elevated risk of fatigue.” The ATSB said BHP has since taken a “series of actions” to “manage fatigue, and to address the limitations of its relevant locomotive’s vigilance systems”