Resources giant isolates mine workforce due to infected FIFO employee

A multinational company segregated dozens of team members at one mining operation because a remote worker caught a highly contagious disease.

BHP recently isolated about 80 employees at its Yandi Iron Ore Mine in Newman, 346km south of Port Hedland. The snap decision came after a fly-in fly-out (FIFO) rail contractor tested positive to coronavirus (COVID-19) while on site.

The employer claims the infected individual tested negative to a rapid antigen test (RAT) before flying to the work site one week prior. However, the FIFO worker began feeling unwell on 30 January 2022 and later produced a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result.

The company later found a different employee who was also infected with COVID-19. Nobody at the site reported symptoms, and all of them were still in isolation even after returning a negative RAT result at the time of publication.

“Contact tracing and deep cleaning at site is continuing, and other close and casual contacts remain in isolation as a precaution,” a BHP spokesperson said according to the Australian Associated Press.

“The health and wellbeing of our people is our top priority, and everyone impacted is being fully supported during their isolation period.”

Strict state laws require infected workers to isolate for 14 days at the accommodation camp. The rest of the workforce will be released after producing a negative PCR test result.

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA urged the State Government to comply with new close contact rules that only require a week of quarantine. Casual contacts would also not need to isolate according to the latest guidelines.

However, Premier Mark McGowan postponed the new rules until the Golden State’s COVID-19 caseload rises. He also refused to say when the state border would reopen for travel after indefinitely postponing the previously planned target date of February 5.

McGowan wants to keep the border closed until the state’s booster shot rate rises from 36 per cent to 75 per cent. This is expected to happen sometime in March.

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