PRESS RELEASE: The resumption occurred after a thorough safety inspection of the area where a remote-controlled loader had caught fire on Wednesday, August 8. Although no one was injured in the incident, Doray immediately suspended underground mining in line with its priority focus on the safety and well-being of Deflector's workforce.
Leigh Junk, Managing Director at Doray, said that a standard re-entry of the mine was undertaken yesterday to assess the area affected by the fire and to ensure that no further hazards existed. The re-entry confirmed that there were no impediments to a safe resumption of mining activities.
"This is a very pleasing recovery following Wednesday's fire incident," he said. "Our first priority will always be the safety of our people. The decision to resume mining was only taken because the workplace has been confirmed safe.
"As unwelcome as Wednesday's incident was, the safe and orderly resolution demonstrates the high quality of Deflector's emergency response capabilities and Doray's entrenched safety culture."
Junk confirmed that the two-day interruption to underground mining would not affect Deflector's production guidance because stockpiled ore had continued to be processed during the period. Doray is continuing its investigation into the cause of the fire.
