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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image and the name of a person who has died.
Each time a person dies on a Western Australian work site, Sharon Westerman is taken back to the worst day of her life.
Her son Lee Buzzard was killed on a Pilbara mine on this day in 2016 and with every fatality since her first thoughts are for the victim's family.
"I'm right back there with them. You just wish you could help. You wish you could ease their pain," she said.
"I'm feeling a lot of disbelief that it's still happening."
On the seventh anniversary of her son's death, Ms Westerman has a clear safety message for the state's resources industry as it grapples with the deaths of five workers since October.
"No matter how careful you are, no matter what a good worker you are, no matter what systems are in place, deaths can still happen," she said.
"I'm not trying to say this to scare people, but people do need to think about it. Talk to your children, talk to your loved ones."
Multiple fatalities
Ms Westerman's comments come as the state faces broader questions on workplace safety after it was revealed that 14 people have been killed at work since July 2022, including a 16-year-old boy in Perth last week.
In resources, WA's biggest industry, five people have died in the Goldfields and Pilbara since October 2022.
The first was a contractor who died at the Hamlet underground mine; part of the St Ives gold operation owned by South African company Gold Fields near Kambalda.
Just days later there was another fatality, this time a MACA worker inside a light vehicle was run over by a large dump truck at Capricorn Metals' Karlawinda gold mine, 65 kilometres south-east of Newman.
In February 2023, BHP worker Jody Byrne was struck and killed by a locomotive at the company's Boodarie railyard near Port Hedland.
Earlier this month, Vertech's Michael Jurman died at Woodside's North Rankin Complex off the Dampier coast, and last week, AAA Asphalt Surfaces contractor Kieren McDowall was killed at Mineral Resources' Onslow Iron project.
Investigations into what caused these tragedies are being conducted by a range of state and federal regulators.
Concern for contractors
Four of the five people who died were contractors, which is a common problem for workplace safety according to University of New South Wales expert Michael Quinlan.
Speaking broadly about problems in workplace safety, Professor Quinlan said the chain of command was complex when contractors were employed and they could be "very reluctant" to raise health and safety issues.
He said this was often because contractors fear they could be sanctioned or lose their jobs.
"It's well known that the use of contractors tends to undermine health and safety," he said.
Australian Workers Union state secretary Brad Gandy said the booming mining sector was facing a significant jobs and skills shortage, which was being filled by inexperienced contractors.
"Work's being contracted out, and then subcontracted out and those subcontractors have to find labour," he said.
"[It's] leading to a whole range of people that we might say don't have the skills, expertise or experience to be in that position at that time.
"I would rather [government and companies] spend more time and energy in being proactive."
Professor Quinlan said while the industry and government regulators had made the sector safe in general, there was room for improvement.
Mine safety a state responsibility
He said fatalities were usually investigated in isolation, but has called for a proactive focus on the circumstances that emerge in most deaths in the industry, such as falls and vehicle crashes.
"Fatalities don't usually occur without any warning signals," he said.
A Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety report showed there were five mining fatalities in 2013–14 and Professor Quinlan said it was concerning to think of rates returning to those levels.
"It probably also eliminates any projected improvement that's occurred in West Australian mines over the past 10 years," he said.
WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston said the recent spike in workplace deaths was concerning, but site health and safety was the "sole responsibility" of mine operators.
In its first term, the government reformed the Work Health and Safety Act to introduce what Mr Johnston described as "the harshest penalties" for industrial manslaughter in Australia.
This included bringing in jail terms of up to 20 years for an individual and a maximum $10 million fine for a company.
"It is for the WorkSafe commissioner to determine if charges should be brought, not the minister, but I encourage the commissioner to fully consider the evidence in each case and take action if required," he said.
WorkSafe Commissioner Darren Kavanagh said all work-related deaths were a tragedy but could not comment on the specific details of incidents while investigations were ongoing.
"WorkSafe remains committed to making WA's workplaces safer and holding employers accountable for their actions," he said.
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said while mine safety was a state responsibility, the Commonwealth took "a leadership role to achieve best practice protections" in work health and safety.
The state's Chamber of Minerals and Energy chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson said she was deeply saddened by the five deaths, and health and safety was the "utmost priority" for the industry.
"CME facilitates the sharing of learnings and best practice across our membership to support the industry's ongoing commitment to workplace health and safety," she said.
The ABC contacted each of the resources giants and contractors identified as connected to the deaths.
BHP and Woodside said they had improved safety measures at the site of each fatality.
It is understood Mineral Resources launched an internal investigation in the days following Kieren McDowall's death.
Gold Fields, MACA and Vertech said they could not comment while investigations were ongoing.
Capricorn Metals and AAA Asphalt Surfaces declined to comment.