WA surveyor admits 2007 cyclone error

A Pilbara building surveyor who processed plans for a worker's camp that was later smashed by a cyclone has admitted he made a big mistake in assessing the wind risk.

Kitchenhand Debra Till, 47, and excavator operator Craig Raabe, 42, died after Tropical Cyclone George crashed through transportable accommodation units at the camp in March 2007.

In the West Australian Coroner's Court on Tuesday, the Shire of East Pilbara's then-building surveyor Chad Harvey said he didn't understand what the co-ordinates he was given meant and had to ask a colleague to input the data into software so he could determine the location.

While Mr Harvey had also been told the camp would be built about 90km inland from Port Hedland and 15km northeast of Wodgina, he relied solely on the co-ordinates.

Once the location was brought up on the colleague's computer screen, he visually picked it out on a wall map - incorrectly determining the site was in a rural area with low cyclone risk.

It was in fact in a region prone to cyclones.

"Do you accept now that was the incorrect wind region?" counsel assisting Philip Urquhart asked.

"Yes. That's what I've been advised," Mr Harvey replied.

Asked why he recommended approving the plan for wind region "A", when the camp was to be built in wind region "C", Mr Harvey said: "Because it was assessed as being in wind region A".

"By whom?" Mr Urquhart asked.

"Me."

Mr Harvey agreed his match-up to the wall map was wildly inaccurate, saying he didn't pay attention to the email description of the site.

"I put it in the wrong spot."

The camp housed workers building a rail line from Fortescue's Cloudbreak mine to Port Hedland.

The inquest continues.