The worker who tragically passed away at BHP’s Olympic Dam mine last week has been identified, and the company has launched its own investigation into the accident.
In the early hours of Anzac Day, 25-year-old Nathan Scholz lost his life following an incident on a surface access road at the South Australian mine.
According to South Australian police, the incident occurred at Olympic Dam around 5:30am on Tuesday. While the specific details of the accident remained undisclosed, it is believed that the man may have been struck by a vehicle at the mine site.
Nathan Scholz worked for Exact Mining Services, a contracting partner to BHP.
“Our deepest sympathies are with Nathan’s family, friends and colleagues, and our primary focus is supporting them at this difficult time,” BHP said in a statement.
“We are working with South Australia Police and SafeWork SA to understand what happened and support their investigations. BHP is also conducting its own investigation.”
Serious incidents often lead to the revaluation of safety protocols. After the Dugald River mine tragedy, where two men died when their vehicle fell into an underground void, Perenti launched a safety transformation taskforce.
The taskforce brought together renowned mining and safety experts from across the globe and is expected to enhance Perenti’s safety procedures.
Perenti intends to share relevant findings with the broader mining industry to drive industry-wide positive safety and critical control improvements.