A worker has been killed and a second injured in an incident at the Fortescue Metals Group's Christmas Creek Mine in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. The incident happened in the mine's heavy vehicle workshop during maintenance work on a surface mining vehicle. Details of the incident have not yet been released, though it is understood the dead worker was a 23 year old contractor and the second is being treated for leg injuries.
The Christmas Creek Mine. Fortescue Metals Group.
The Christmas Creek Mine is an open pit mine located about 60 km South
West of Nullagine and 1200 km northeast of Perth. As well as producing
iron ore it also produces silica, aluminium and phosphorous minerals.
The ore is processed on site then shipped by rail to Herb Elliott Port.
This is the second fatality at the Christmas Creek Mine this year, after a 26-year-old contractor from New Zealand was killed at the site on 14 August. The Department of Mines and Petroleum has ordered Fortescue Metals to tighten its safety procedures following this latest incident, and in particular to improve the supervision of outside contractors working at the site.
See also Two workers killed in accident at Tasmanian copper mine, Worker killed at Western Australia ore mine, Mining company fined for desecrating sacred site in Australia's Northern Territory, Acid spill from gold mine adds to Edith River's woes and Copper spill causes pollution alert on the Edith River in the Northern Territory, Australia.
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