Byerwen mine death: Macmahon worker died after two vehicles collide at Queensland mine site

For the second time in a month, a worker has been killed at the same Queensland coal mine.

WA mining services contractor Macmahon informed the ASX on Friday that a death at the Byerwen coking coal mining operation had occurred a day prior.

“The site emergency response team has been activated and we are working with our client and all relevant authorities,” the company said.

“Counselling has been made available and our focus is to provide support to family, friends and colleagues. We are committed to thoroughly investigating this incident.“

The Nightly understands the worker who died was employed by a subcontractor hired by Macmahon.

Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart has confirmed the fatality resulted from an “incident between a haul truck and a light vehicle”.

The collision is believed to have occurred on the surface of the mine. The Queensland Ambulance Service were called to scene shortly after 1pm eastern time.

Macmahon in March 2023 was awarded a 20-month contract extension worth $440 million to continue mining services at Byerwen — located in Queensland’s Bowen Basin — until at least June 30 next year.

Byerwen is owned by Brisbane-based QCoal and it is the second death at the mine in the space of 20 days.

During the first week of August a 48-year-old father of five was killed when he was struck by a crane. The Nightly understands that fatal incident did not involve Macmahon.

Mining and Energy Union Queensland district president Mitch Hughes said workers “felt a horrible sense of déjà vu” when they received news of the latest death.

“Workers have not even had a chance to properly process the fatality of Chris Schloss who they lost less than three weeks ago,” he said.

“When they found out another one of their workmates died at the mine, it was earth-shattering. MEU members we have spoken to this afternoon just can’t comprehend it.”

Mr Hughes said the two deaths in quick succession show “QCoal and MacMahon cannot be trusted to operate safely”.

“The MEU believes that the only reasonable course of action is for QCoal to cease operations immediately,” he said.

“As for QCoal’s future, unless they can demonstrate that they can operate safely, we believe that their license for the mining lease should be removed.”

The Byerwen vehicle crash marks the first worker fatality for Macmahon since 2021. That year Macmahon employee Paul Tamati Ereka Martin died in June after becoming unconscious through heat exhaustion at Silver Lake Resources’ Daisy underground gold mine in the Goldfields.

Weeks prior another Macmahon worker died, this time in Indonesia at the Batu Hijau gold and copper project. Details about the nature of the Indonesian death were not provided except that it was an accident.