MY STORY
Josh Jones - Founder OAB Safe
In 2015, I was 22 years old and in my final year of a diesel fitting apprenticeship. I had my whole life ahead of me. Great job, beautiful partner, loving family – I had it all.
Little did I know walking into work that February afternoon that it was all about to change.
It was just a regular night shift. We were coming to the end of our seven-day roster, and I was looking forward to my week off back at home in Sydney.
Around 6pm, at shift handover, we were allocated our jobs. Stephen Cave – Cavey – and I were finishing off changing the tyres on a Caterpillar 777 water truck, which at 162 tonnes had tyres that stood about 8ft tall. These tyres aren’t like regular car tyres. Each one comprises about two tonnes of components and is inflated at 110PSI.
As the end of our shift drew near, and we were finishing the job, there was an explosion. Of noise. Of debris. Of chaos.
I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. It wasn’t a truck… the wheel assembly had catastrophically failed. The force was so powerful my uniform was blown off and I landed metres away from the truck, my head ringing.
Time stopped. I felt cold from the rush of air from the tyre. I couldn’t hear but shouted for help. My co-workers had heard the explosion and were already on their way. It was then I saw my arm.
It was hard to comprehend. All the arteries severed. Bones snapped. My shoulder dislocated. The blood. I was rushed to hospital in Theodore and then airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. 25 surgeries, 40+ units of blood and 10 weeks recovery in hospital. But I was the lucky one.
Cavey never made it home from work that day. My mentor and friend died instantly in the explosion. It was an accident that should never have happened. Walking into work that day, the last thing any of us thought was that we wouldn’t make it home. Which is how it should be, but working in a high-risk industry like mining, the stark reality is different.
Advocacy
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time an accident like this had happened – there have been at least five deaths relating to tyres in Australian mines since 2005.
In 2019, I attended a memorial service in Moura where a plaque dedicated to Cavey and all miners who’d lost their lives was unveiled. I was shocked to learn that Cavey was one of 37 miners killed working in the Moura mines since 1975. At that moment, I knew something had to change.
According to a Safe Work Australia report, there were eight fatalities in Australian mines in 2021-22. Between 2022 and 2024, four people have died.
The mining industry still has the third highest fatality rate of any industry with an average of nine workers dying each year. What’s not quantified is the people left behind, who bear the scars of these tragedies. The victims’ families. Their workmates. Their friends.
When I recovered from my injuries, I was determined to do whatever I could to ensure another family didn’t suffer the loss that Cavey’s did. That another mother didn’t have to receive a call saying, “Your son has been involved in an accident and there has been a fatality”, like mine did.
OAB Safe is committed to working with the mining industry to drive positive change in the areas of:
- Safety
- Culture
- Mental health
There is always going to be an element of risk working in the mining sector. What OAB Safe is working towards is reducing the potential impact of that risk by turning my hindsight into your foresight.
Contact me for a free 30-minute consultation to discuss how I can help your team.
In Memoriam
Stephen Cave
Cavey, you are never far from my thoughts, and I know the same goes for the rest of our crew. Each time I hear the rustle of a bag of lollies I picture you popping out from wherever you were in the workshop and asking, “what have you got there?”. Whenever the lads are making wagers on the footy, I can't help but say there's a King Brown as the wager. You were like a father to me on site, always sharing your wisdom and always the first to stand up for your crew when things needed raising at prestart. You would be so proud of your amazing kids and the three beautiful granddaughters they have brought into the world. We love and miss you mate.
- forever your little Jaspers.