Government of Western Australia | Big Bell Gold Operations Pty Ltd has been fined $945,000 and ordered to pay $20,000 in costs after a truck fatally struck a worker at its Big Bell underground gold mine.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Westgold Resources Limited, Big Bell Gold Operations pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court to an offence under the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 (WA) of failing to provide and maintain a working environment in which an employee of a contractor was not exposed to hazards. This offence does not indicate that the breach caused the fatal incident. However, it highlights a failure in terms of safe systems of work.
In December 2020, a Big Bell Gold Operations-engaged contractor, Minterra Pty Ltd, was performing mining operations at the Big Bell underground gold mine. During a night shift at the site 24km north-west of Cue, a Minterra employee-operated truck struck a Minterra employee, who died from their injuries.
