Newcrest resumes mining operations at Ridgeway after tragic suspension

Mining has restarted over the weekend at the Ridgeway Mine at Newcrest's Cradia site, after it was closed for a few days following a fatal accident that claimed the life of a mining worker on Sep. 6.

Newcrest had resumed operations at the site's process plant on Sep. 11, and revealed on Monday that they had come back on the gold mine site over the weekend.

The accident is the third fatality involving Newcrest Operations this year, including the accidents at the Hidden Valley PNG project in June and at the Telfer mine in May. The Department of Trade and Investment said that it would be reviewing the case, while Australian Workers’ Union member Russ Collison said the Sep. 6 tragedy, which would have a lasting impact on the killed worker’s friends, family and colleagues, reinforced the importance of safety in a dangerous mining industry.

“There’s a lot of unforeseen issues and problems that you can confront very easily and that’s why safety is at the forefront,” Collison was quoted in The ConstructionLink.

Newcrest said that it is reviewing its safety procedures to improve the working conditions for workers. “Newcrest is reviewing its safety processes and initiatives and implementing further steps at all operations to improve its safety performance,” it said in a statement on Monday.

The company, which operates in four countries and employs approximately 10,000 workers across its sites, recently received approval to expand its Cadia East mining site, situated south of Orange in New South Wales.

Newcrest's call for increasing the limit of gold and copper processing plants from 27 million tonnes per annum to 32 million tonnes per annum has also been approved by the state government, but awaits board approval. It is now undertaking studies and research for the successful expansion of the project.

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