Harmony Gold has confirmed a loss-of-life incident at its Tshepong North underground complex near Welkom in the Free State province of South Africa on 7 March.
The producer said the employee, who was not identified, lost his life in a rigging-related accident.
Nor further information was released by the company, which is conducting an internal investigation and providing assistance to relevant authorities and impacted employees and family members of the lost worker.
“This loss of life is a tragedy for Harmony and indeed the mining industry at large,” CEO Peter Steenkamp said.
“Having celebrated the safe start to the calendar year, these incidents remind us that we cannot ever be complacent, and that workplace safety is non-negotiable.”
Tshepong North is a mature underground operation that uses conventional undercut mining, while its newer sister mine Tshepong South uses the conventional undercut and opencut mining method. Life of mine is eight years.
Source: harmony.co.za