A Darwin worker on the massive US Government fuel tank project at East Arm was crushed by a three-tonne compaction roller earlier this month, suffering serious leg and pelvic injuries requiring him to be airlifted to Adelaide for treatment, NT WorkSafe has confirmed.

Sources said the incident occurred in early September at the Saunders International storage yard at the corner of Cochrane Road and Berrimah Road at East Arm, which has been used by the contractor as a storage and work area for the nearby fuel tank project.

NT WorkSafe said they are currently investigating the incident after being notified of the serious injury on Saturday, September 3.

“NT WorkSafe has commenced an enquiry after receiving notification that a worker received a serious crush injury during the unloading of a 2.7 tonne compaction roller,” a spokesman said.

“Our preliminary enquires indicate the roller was being unloaded from a tilt-tray truck when it lost traction and rolled.

“The worker was pinned by the Roll Over Protection System fitted to the roller.”

Saunders International was awarded a $165 million contract by American firm Crowley for the engineering and construction management of 11 jet fuel storage tanks in Darwin for US Defence forces.

The government has claimed around 200 jobs would be created during the construction phase of the facility and will generate 10 jobs once it becomes active, although it is unclear if those would be staffed by locals. The 200 jobs figure is about half what the government initially claimed.

Saunders commenced initial works at the overall $270 million Crowley Bulk Fuel Storage Facility at East Arm in January and late last month celebrated the final ring beam being poured at the project site.

The facility, the largest of its kind in the NT, will play a crucial role in servicing US Defence operations in the region, the government said.

The WorkSafe spokesman said wet conditions from an early-season rain on the Friday may have been a contributing factor in the serious incident.

“With the possibility of early showers forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology, NT WorkSafe reminds all workplaces to work to the conditions and review their risk assessments to take into consideration any change in environmental factors,” he said.

Saunders International told the NT Independent that the incident occurred on September 3 at its East Arm workshop and that the company immediately informed WorkSafe.

“It would not be appropriate for Saunders to comment further on the incident while an investigation is underway by NT WorkSafe and the company,” a spokesman said.