Defence charged over naval base crane incident
The Department of Defence has been charged with breaching federal work health and safety laws after a crane tipped over at a Royal Australian Navy base.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has filed a single charge in Perth Magistrates Court alleging Defence failed in its duties under the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act).
The incident happened at HMAS Stirling, south of Perth, on 16 September 2024.
A mobile crane weighing 60 tonnes tipped over, forcing the operator to jump from the cabin and workers nearby to run from the scene. No one was injured.
Comcare’s investigation found the crane’s setup was allegedly inadequate during the pack-up stage, with outrigger stabilisers retracted, the boom extended, and a counterweight too heavy for that configuration.
The investigation also found there had been a similar incident a year earlier where a mobile crane tipped over at HMAS Creswell naval base south of Sydney.
It will be alleged that Defence failed to undertake a range of measures to minimise risks to health and safety for the HMAS Stirling incident, including:
- Instructing and training workers on the safe operation of mobile cranes to address tipping instability
- Undertaking formal pre-planning procedures including a site-specific safety analysis
- Establishing an adequate exclusion zone for the job.
The charge is a Category 2 criminal offence under the WHS Act, alleging a failure to comply with a health and safety duty that exposed workers to a risk of death or serious injury.
The matter is listed for mention in Perth Magistrates Court on 27 November 2026.
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