The company will rely on its four other draglines along with truck and shovel operations to remove overburden in the meantime.

In meeting the previous 6.5-6.9Mtpa production forecast made in August, Wesfarmers said it was subject to normal mine operating performance and infrastructure constraints.

“Wesfarmers is continuing to assess the cost of repairs to the dragline’s boom which was damaged during scheduled maintenance on Sunday, and the impact on cost of production,” the company said.

The dragline sustained damage as a result of a winch failure from a crane which also caused minor injuries to a crane operator.