Investigations are continuing into two separate mining deaths in Western Australia this week.
It was reported on Thursday that a person had died at Capricorn Metals’ Karlawinda gold mine, near Newman, in the Pilbara region.
WorkSafe Mines safety inspectors and WA Police have travelled to the site to investigate the incident.
The worker is an employee of mining contractor MACA, which said in a statement that it was mobilising senior leaders to the site.
“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and workmates of our colleague,” chief executive David Greig said.
“We will be providing support to our colleague’s family and our teams as we all work through this tragic event.”
Capricorn Metals said mining operations had been temporarily suspended.
“Everyone at Capricorn is shocked and saddened by the fatality at the Karlawinda mine site this morning,” executive chairman Mark Clark said in a statement on Thursday.
“Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to the MACA employee’s family, friends and colleagues.”
The $175m Karlawinda mine employs about 250 people and produced its first gold in June last year.
It was the second mining fatality in WA this week following a death of a contractor at Gold Fields’ St Ives site, near Kambalda, on Tuesday afternoon.
A second contractor also suffered minor injuries.
Gold Fields Australasia executive vice president Stuart Mathews said the worker’s death was a “devastating loss” and all mining activity at the site had been suspended.
The South African mining giant has launched an investigation into the incident and is working with WA authorities.
But the Australian Workers’ Union has complained their representatives have not been allowed proper access to the site since the tragedy.
NCA NewsWire understands union representatives will have access on Friday.
“All workers should go to work and return home safely to their family. One death at work is one too many,” the union said.
WorkSafe commissioner Darren Kavanagh said any work-related death was a tragedy, and conveyed his condolences to everyone involved.
“WorkSafe is unable to provide further details of either fatality at this time,” a statement on Thursday read.
The incidents come after David Armstrong, 25, died at Fortescue Metals Group’s Solomon Hub operations in the Pilbara region in September last year when there was a ground collapse.
A couple of weeks earlier, a 52-year-old man fell to his death at CITIC Pacific Mining’s Sino Iron mine, about 100km south of Karratha.
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