The Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is putting the underground mining industry on notice, following the death of a young worker at Saracen Mineral Holding’s Dervish underground gold mine, north of Kalgoorlie, in July of this year.
Preliminary findings into the death of the worker, Michael Johnson, found that he was undertaking the building of a safety barrier when he was killed, but found no visual markings or warning signs that indicated the distance to the drop that led to his untimely death.
Mr Johnson was killed when the loader he was driving fell 25 metres into an open void, known in the industry as a stope.
“There was no physical barrier to prevent the [loader] entering the stope,” the investigators’ report said.
“When operating a [loader], the operator’s forward visibility is limited by the configuration of the machine. This can have implications on an operator’s capacity to see the edge of the open stope as they approach.
“There were no effective visual wall markings or delineators to aid the driver in judging the distance to the open stope edge.”
The DMIRS has put out a warning to other mining operators in the state, calling on them to ensure that physical barriers are erected to prevent loaders falling into stopes. It has also recommended that visual markings be installed on the walls of mines so that drivers can better identify risks and potential fall hazards, as well as the implementation of loaders with better visibility.
Saracen had contracted Mr Johnson at the time of his death through Byrnecut, and he became the second mining death in the state this year. Saracen Chief Executive Raleigh Finlayson spoke at an earnings conference earlier this week and explained that the whole company was hurt by the incident and investigating the current safety systems.
According to a spokesman from Saracen, “the company is cooperating with the department and will continue to assist with the investigation.”