BHP Billiton has held urgent talks with Mines Minister Norman Moore after it launched an inquiry into the death of a 45-year-old man at its Leinster nickel mine.
BHP Billiton has held urgent talks with Mines Minister Norman Moore after it launched an inquiry into the death of a 45-year-old man at its Leinster nickel mine.
The talks comes as the BHP's safety record came under fire, following a spate of deaths over the past two years.
Mr Moore said the death was "extremely disappointing" given previous efforts to improve safety at the Nickel West Perseverance Mine at Leinster, 375km north of Kalgoorlie.
The state opposition has called for a royal commission into mine safety following Sunday morning's accident.
Emergency crews retrieved the body of Wayne Ross earlier today after the mine vehicle he was driving plunged down an 18-metre shaft, police said.
Mine and police rescuers had worked since Sunday morning to reach Mr Ross, who was from Koondoola in Perth's northern suburbs.
The WA government considered closing the mine last year over safety concerns following two rockfalls.
BHP Billiton said in a statement that operations at the mine had been suspended and an investigation launched.
Mr Moore held urgent talks with company officials today and said he had voiced his deep concerns over continuing safety problems at Leinster.
"This latest incident is extremely disappointing given previous efforts to address safety issues at this mine," Mr Moore said.
"I am aware of the genuine bid by BHP Billiton to improve its record in this area, but even a single death in a mine is one death too many."
Last July, Mr Moore looked at shutting the mine following two rockfalls within three weeks, one of them trapping a miner underground for 16 hours.
The mine was closed temporarily and BHP Billiton was ordered to commission an independent engineering study into the mine's safety.
Wayne Isaacs, president of BHP Billiton's Nickel West division, said the study had been completed and the mine declared safe but "we certainly have room to improve".
He said the rockfalls were a different issue from Sunday's vehicle accident.
"Mine safety is always something that's our highest priority," Mr Isaacs told ABC Radio.
"Obviously our job's not done until we are able to ensure everybody returns back home in the same condition they came to work in on that day."
WA's Opposition Leader Eric Ripper said several deaths at mines in recent years showed safety had not improved despite countless reviews and inquiries.
"A royal commission can provide an environment free from intimidation for witnesses and uncover problems within the sector and inspectorate," he said.
Australian Workers Union WA secretary Stephen Price said if nothing was done the state faced further mine disasters as the resource sector went into top gear.
"The chase for profits in the coming mining boom should not be at the expense of mine workers' lives," he said.
"We've always known that a union mine is a safe mine, unfortunately BHP just refuses to learn that lesson."
Steve McCartney of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said the company continued to have safety problems at its WA mines because it failed to listen to workers' concerns.
Police will conduct an inquiry for the coroner and mining inspectors and workplace safety officials will also investigate.
Minister Moore's announcement is below:
Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore met senior BHP Billiton executives this morning to voice deep concern over continuing safety problems at the company's Leinster operations.
The urgent talks, requested by BHP Billiton, followed reports of an underground fatality on Sunday at the company's Perseverance nickel mine in Western Australia's northern goldfields
Mr Moore said the Department of Mines and Petroleum had already sent two mines inspectors to the site and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death was under way.
"This latest incident is extremely disappointing given previous efforts to address safety issues at this mine," he said.
"I am aware of the genuine bid by BHP Billiton to improve its record in this area, but even a single death in a mine is one death too many."
In June last year, the Minister asked the then State Mining Engineer, Martin Knee, to as consider if the Perseverance nickel mine should remain open.
His request followed an incident in which a miner was trapped underground following a seismic event.
At the time, Mr Moore had asked for the State Mining Engineer's professional advice as to whether the mine should continue operations and if any further directions should be issued under Section 45 of the Mines Safety and Inspection Act.
A subsequent Section 45 review was ordered and the mine was cleared for continuing operations after showing it had met the relevant conditions.
"I want to make it clear that the Section 45 review ordered by the State Mining Engineer at that time was into matters related to seismic activity at the Perseverance mine," the Minister said today.
"There is no suggestion at this point that there is any relationship between the issues raised in that investigation and the latest incident."
In September last year, Mr Moore announced a major shake-up of mine safety.
The measures included:
- Significant additional resources for the Resources Safety Division of the DMP, including more money to increase compliance activities by DMP inspectors
- An industry cost recovery model which increases the onus on companies to ensure worker safety. New South Wales and Queensland are States which have already adopted cost recovery models
- A new approach to safety management based on evidence and risk, and focused on reducing the likelihood of a serious incident.
The Minister said he had made his position clear to BHP Billiton this morning about the paramount importance of worker safety.
"I do not want to comment further on this individual case until the inquiry is completed," he said.
