Macmahon confirms Byerwen fatality

Perth-based Macmahon Holdings has confirmed one of its employees has been killed at the Byerwen coal mine in Queensland.

Macmahon told the market an incident had occurred at the project, 160 kilometres west of Mackay, with the site’s emergency response team activated and working with authorities.

It’s understood it happened at around 1pm AEST yesterday.

Queensland Ambulance said in a statement a worker had been found with critical injuries and was declared deceased at the site.

Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart told parliament yesterday he had spoken to the health and safety regulator about the incident.

“There has been an incident between a haul truck and a light vehicle,” he said.

“There will be a full investigation into this facility.”

The site is owned by Brisbane-based QCoal and contracted to Macmahon.

Macmahon said it was committed to thoroughly investigating the incident.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with our colleague’s family, friends and workmates,” Macmahon managing director Michael Finnegan said.

It’s the second death from the same mine site in less than a month, after a 48-year-old Qcoal employee died on August 3 in an incident involving a crane.

It’s the first death of a Macmahon employee since the June 2021 death at the Daisy Complex underground gold mine in Mount Monger, WA.

In April 2021 a worker died at Macmahon’s Batu Hijau gold and copper project in Indonesia.

In 2019, Macmahon was fined $375,000 over a fatal incident at the CSA Cobar mine in 2013, where a 42-year-old worker was killed due to an incident investigators said was “inadequate” operational procedures.

Macmahon shares were trading at 33 cents per share after the incident.

Macmahon was awarded a three-year mining contract for the Byerwen Coal mine in 2017.

The company had been awarded two contract extensions, with the latest running through to 30 June 2025.