There are reports of police raids on mining sites in West Australia, as authorities crack down on reports of illicit drugs in the resources sector.

A Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) site was raided by a police drug squad last week in a move orchestrated by company management.

It is understood that the sweep of the Christmas Creek iron ore mine was the first to be conducted on an FMG site, but is not expected to be the last.

Mine management arranged for police sniffer dogs and officers to search FMG workers and outside contractors as they flew into the Pilbara region.

It comes just days after FMG admitted that drug use was growing amongst its staff.

FMG CEO Nev Power has told the ABC that the firm is at the head of an industry-wide anti-drug push in concert with the WA police.

“We're continually getting intelligence from a variety of sources about attempts to infiltrate drugs onto our mine sites, we want to step up and take an industry lead on this,” he said.

“I think for too long we have, as an industry, hidden in the shadows and turned a blind eye to it.

“Illegal drugs do not belong in the mining industry, just as they do not belong in the community, and anyone who uses illegal drugs on a Fortescue site is putting the safety of themselves and their mates at risk, which is unacceptable.”

“Fortescue is taking the lead in the fight against drugs because we care about the safety of our people and because drugs are hurting the communities in which we all live.”

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA says the raid and the central role GFMG played were to be encouraged across the sector.

With a range of complex and often dangerous equipment, substances and remote locations, the group said there was an extra need to make sure mining stayed clean.

“This is a community issue and the community can expect to see more of these police actions in the near future,” a statement from Regional WA Police Commander Murray Smalpage said.