Waihi miner sacked after truck fire
Subsidiary of US mining giant says one of its miners did not follow emergency procedures.
Newmont Waihi Gold says a miner who was underground during a truck fire last month has been sacked for not following emergency procedures.
The company, which is owned by US-based giant Newmont Mining Corporation, had to rescue 28 miners from refuge chambers in the Trio mine after a fire in a $500,000 truck engine.
In a statement issued by Newmont communication adviser Linda Willoughby, the company says it had conducted a separate review of staff actions during the emergency.
"One staff member who was underground at the time of the incident and who did not follow emergency procedures has been dismissed following a disciplinary hearing.
"As this is an employment matter we are not at liberty to provide further details."
The report has triggered a review of all high-risk hoses, consideration of guards around hydraulic fuel tanks and a review of the fire suppression system's design.
Its internal investigation report, released publicly today, says the driver of the burning truck did not activate a fire suppression system as he left the cab, which was filling with smoke.
Newmont says the sacked person was not the truck driver and was not a senior staff member.
David Williams
Wed, 29 Aug 2012
Wed, 29 Aug 2012
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Waihi miner sacked after truck fire
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