A mineworker has died from tragic injuries after being struck by plant at the Westgold (ASX: WGX) Big Bell Gold mine in Western Australia.
According to available information, a female mineworker sustained serious injuries and was treated by the site emergency response team before being transferred by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Perth. Unfortunately, the mineworker passed away en-route to Perth.
In a statement released by Westgold, the company confirmed that the incident is being investigated by the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) and others.
The Company said it is cooperating with those investigations. Mining operations at Big Bell have been temporarily suspended and will remain so until further notice.
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Westgold will continue to provide support to the family of the worker and the team at Big Bell.
“Our hearts go out to the family of our employee as well as her colleagues” Westgold Resources Executive Chairman Peter Cook said.
“This devastating news has shaken all of us at Westgold to our core.”
“The safety and wellbeing of our people is a priority to us, which is why we will ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted into this tragic incident.”
“In the meantime, we will be extending all the support required to her family and to her colleagues at this difficult time.”
The Company said it will remain in a trading halt (as per the request for halt earlier today) for the full 48-hour period whilst the investigation continues and pending a further announcement regarding the operations at Big Bell.
Westgold has stated that “Safety is our first consideration in everything we do. We are committed to protecting all our employees, contractors and site visitors, to building a strong safety culture based on both individual and shared responsibility, and to drive continual improvement in our safety performance”
“The Westgold sustainability framework and our Health and Safety Policy provide the context for the setting of our health and safety objectives and targets and the implementation of our Health and Safety Management System.”
Big Bell is located 24 km north-west of Cue in Western Australia.
Image: Westgold LinkedIn
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