bhp suspends all wa iron ore mining, page-4

BHP Billiton's iron ore operations throughout Western Australia have been suspended after the second fatality at the Yandi mine in two weeks.

Police were called to the mine, 140 kilometres north-west of Newman, late yesterday afternoon.

Police Media's Greg Lambert said preliminary inquiries revealed the 19-year-old Northam man was killed in a motor vehicle accident while working at the mine.

Sergeant Lambert said a coronial investigation had begun into the death.

Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union assistant secretary Joe McDonald said he understood a Haulpak-style mining dump truck had rolled over the top of the man's vehicle.

"There's deaths every week in the North-West now, it's disgraceful," Mr McDonald said.

Perth-based BHP Billiton spokesman John Crowley confirmed 6000 staff at the company's seven iron ore mines and Port Hedland shipping facility would not start work at their normal times today.

In addition, the operations of 2000 staff at the mining giant's Perth head office would be suspended.

"We take any fatality very seriously, so we have suspended all operations in WA Iron Ore until further notice," Mr Crowley said.

"We have lost now two people, and within our business people come first, and we want to make sure everyone is in the right frame of mind to know how about working safely."

He said a review of the 8000-staff work suspension would occur later today.

The employee of mine operator Henry Walker Eltin Mining was treated by mine site paramedics but died at the scene of the accident.

The man's family has been notified, but his name has not been released.

WA Department of Consumer and Employment Protection spokesman Peter Lewis said his agency was aware of the fatality and was investigating as part of the coronial inquiry.

He said that if endemic safety concerns were identified, the department had the power to close Yandi mine down under WA's Mine Safety Inspection Act.

The fatality is the second at Yandi in the past fortnight, and the third at a BHP-owned Pilbara facility in the past two months.

On August 26, a 29-year-old man died in a workshop accident at the mine.

That man, also an employee of Henry Walker Eltin Mining, was a fly-in, fly-out employee from Mandurah.

On July 29, a 52-year-old man died at BHP's railway workshop at the Nelson Point Works, near Port Hedland.

WA Today