MARKETS

SA miner death points towards natural causes

THE death of a South Australian coal miner at the Leigh Creek coal fields last week may have been due to natural causes, SafeWork SA said today.

Vivienne Ryan

Last Thursday a man died at the Leigh Creek coal operations when he fell from a bulldozer and into the mine.

Investigations into the death found no evidence of mechanical failure and a number of indicators from the scene pointed towards natural causes, a SafeWork SA spokesman told ILN.

“It needs to be confirmed by autopsy but as mentioned the indicators are now pointing towards natural causes,” the spokesman said.

An autopsy will be completed to confirm the cause of death.

Coober Pedy Police and SafeWork SA have taken statements from workers at the mine and will prepare a report for the coroner.

The 45-year-old miner was from Leigh Creek and had worked on the mine for 25 years.

He was found by workmates after the incident at around 8.40am Thursday morning and taken from the mine to the local hospital where he later died of his injuries.

The Leigh Creek coal mine in the north of SA provides coal to energy giant Babcock & Brown Power’s Flinders Power Station in Port Augusta.

Babcock & Brown Power told ILN last week it could not comment on the death as investigations were underway.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2023 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of current exploration rates, trending exploration technologies, a ranking of top drill intercepts and a catalogue of 2022 Initial Resource Estimates and recent discovery successes.