BHP’s Western Australian Iron Ore Operations Paused After Worker Dies in Port Hedland Rail Accident

Updated: October 11, 2023 (Originally published February 8, 2023)

Australian miner BHP has suspended all operations at Western Australia’s Pilbara region after a worker was fatally injured at BHP’s rail yard in Port Hedland.

BHP’s Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) is an integrated system of four processing hubs and five mining hubs, connected by more than 1,000 km of rail infrastructure and port facilities. Operations will be suspended for 24 hours for a safety stop.

The nature of the incident wasn’t immediately unclear. The Mining & Energy Union in Australia said the worker was killed during a locomotive shunt movement.

“The site Incident Management Team has been activated, and police have attended the scene. BHP is working closely with the relevant authorities and we will also undertake a full investigation to understand what has happened,” BHP said in a statement.

Port Hedland is one of the largest iron ore loading ports in the world and the largest in Australia. In 2022, BHP produced 2.5 billion tones of iron ore.

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