WorkSafe report reveals big holes in Northern Star’s safety procedures after open pit mine wall collapse

There were “no controls in place” to warn of a “serious” wall collapse at one of Northern Star Resources’ gold mines near Kalgoorlie, a concealed report has revealed. In October, heavy rainfall triggered a wall failure at the dormant New Celebration open pit which sent mounds of debris cascading onto the access ramp of the South Kalgoorlie underground mine. “Although there was no person in the pit during the time of the failure there were also no controls in place to identify or warn of the failure,” a WorkSafe investigation report obtained by The West Australia stated. “The failure included compromising the mine’s only access ramp. “I have formed a reasonable belief that there is a risk to persons from further failure of ground in this area.” Northern Star was then slapped with a notice prohibiting any activity within 25 metres at the base of the collapsed wall until a geotechnical engineer deemed the area structurally sound. An engineer’s tick off was granted before the start of this year. A spokesman for Northern Star said the “pit wall slip” prompted a sweeping geotechincal review and subsequent overhaul of its mine wall monitoring procedures. “In line with any event investigation, we reviewed our controls, applied learnings and strengthened our processes to further enhance geotechnical monitoring across the South Kalgoorlie operations,” he said. Northern Star is also facing heat for the safety culture on site at its $1.6 billion Fimiston mill expansion. NRW Holdings subsidiary Primero Group is running the site, which will expand the processing plant that is fed gold from the iconic Kalgoorlie Super Pit. A spokesman for the Electrical Trades Union said personal protective equipment “is not being issued” on site. “In particular, category two fire-retardant PPE needs to be issued to commissioning crews and this is not happening despite repeated requests,” he said. “Site radios are also not being provided. An inability to quickly communicate and respond is critical in any emergency situation.” In response, the Northern Star spokesman said the safety of its “employees and contracting partners is our highest priority”. “The Fimiston mill expansion is a significant investment in the Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines’ (KCGM) future and involves a level of construction activity not seen on site in several decades,” he said. “Heightened risk assessments and robust mitigation measures are key to maintaining our strong safety performance as we work with our contractors to safely and successfully deliver the mill expansion. “We are proud of our industry leading safety performance and remain committed to continuously improving.” The Super Pit, which is the linchpin of Northern Star’s KCGM, is the second largest gold mine in Australia. It produced 437,894 ounces of the precious metal during 2025, according to data from Surbiton Associates. Newmont’s Boddington near Perth was the most prolific gold mine in the country with 565,000oz.