Newcrest Mining has accepted legal responsibility for a worker losing part of a limb during a drilling incident at its Cadia East Underground Mine, 22km southwest of Orange in Central West New South Wales.
The Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) subsidiary has pleaded guilty to failing to ensure, as reasonably and practically required, the health and safety of its workers under section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act.
The admission followed an incident on 19 June 2023 in which one employee had his left arm amputated below the elbow after becoming entangled in a jumbo rig’s rotating drill steel.
NSW Industrial Court Judge Jane Paingakulam found the gold producer should have installed either a presence-sensing safeguard or an automatic boom isolation system on jumbo drill rigs.
Paingakulam also discovered that documented safe work procedures should have been implemented to address tasks that require employees to access areas in front of jumbo jacks.
The judge also ruled that nipper offsiders need to have adequate information, instructions, training, and competency assessments.
Other recommendations include an electronic data-logging system to monitor and track boom immobiliser system usage on jumbos, as well as periodic auditing of dash camera footage for safety compliance.
Jumbo drill rig operator Timothy Jones also pleaded guilty to breaching section 32 of the Act by “failing to take reasonable care not to adversely affect the health and safety of a coworker pursuant to section 28(b)”. Judgment for that matter has been reserved.
The court originally intended to impose a $1 million fine on the employer. However, the company’s guilty plea resulted in a 25% reduction, bringing the fine to $750,000.
The judge ordered that half of the penalty ($375,000) be paid to the prosecutor and that the company cover prosecution expenses.
NSW Resources reveals the fine imposed was 40.3% of the maximum penalty for the same type of offence, which can exceed $1.86 million.
Newmont Corporation is a copper, zinc, lead, and silver producer with assets across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Africa, North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Write to Richard Szabo at Mining.com.au
Images: Newmont Corporation
