Town’s confidence in underground mine safety unshaken after earthquake cuts communication with miners

Confidence in underground mining operations in the northern Goldfields remains unshaken, according to Shire of Leonora president Peter Craig, after an earthquake cut communication with mine workers at BHP Nickel West’s Leinster operation on Wednesday. BHP on Thursday confirmed it lost communication with 89 underground miners after an earthquake rocked the site 15km north of Leinster. The company said the 3.5 magnitude seismic event, which occurred at 3.24pm, resulted in a power outage and loss of communication with its underground team. Cr Craig, who lives in Leinster, on Thursday told the Kalgoorlie Miner that BHP’s emergency management team was on site to investigate the incident. He said underground workers at the site were unaffected by the incident and the mood in the township was normal. “I’ve spoken to a couple of people on site and everything seems good,” he said. “There’s been nothing on the social (media) page, nothing was spoken about this morning, everything was normal.” Cr Craig said his confidence in underground mine safety remained unaffected by the earthquake but the incident served as a timely reminder to stay vigilant on mine safety. “There is always concerns when you work underground anywhere,” he said. “At the end of the day, all the best practices, best measures are put in place. “(BHP) go to a large expense to make sure everything is rock bolted and shotcreted (to stabilise rock excavations). “I would think that it would send a message to everybody ... that they need to be vigilant while they are underground.” Cr Craig said while the region had “been through a few earthquakes” in the past, Wednesday’s incident was a rare occurrence. He said the earthquake was felt by residents of Leinster and the surrounding region for about eight to 10 seconds. The Shire president said “a slight bang” was heard in the town centre before power was cut for about 30 minutes. Cr Craig said Leinster’s power was supplied by TransAlta Energy via gas turbines and diesel power backup generators located at BHP’s Nickel West site. He said tremors were also felt by workers at BHP’s Mount Keith nickel operation about 90km north of Leinster, and Northern Star Resources’ Bronzewing Gold Mine situated 83km north-east of the town. Local residents and mine workers in Leinster were reluctant to speak about the incident when the Kalgoorlie Miner visited the mining town on Thursday. Residents appeared mostly unaffected by the earthquake and the subsequent power outage, with a steady flow of business at Leinster’s local cafe, grocery store and the Leinster Tavern. Multiple mining vehicles entered and exited the gatehouse of BHP’s Nickel West site on Thursday. The seismic event was certainly the talk of the town, with many mining workers discussing details of the earthquake in the local cafe.