Nov 11 2004
BHP Billiton today announced it would place the Boodarie Iron plant in Western Australia on care and maintenance while it determined the long term future of the operation.
Vice President Boodarie Iron Anthony Kirke said the company would require several months to fully consider all of the available options for the plant including a resumption of operations, alternative uses for the facility, or full closure.
“As this exercise will require considerable time and resources to complete, the best option for both employees and the company is to place the plant on care and maintenance,” he said.
“One of the most important factors in any decision will be the outcomes of the various investigations into the accident in May and their implications for the safe and viable operation of the plant.”
BHP Billiton is working closely with employees and contractors to minimise the impact of this decision and aims to retain the key staff necessary to restart the plant should that be the chosen option.
It is expected that all personnel will be retained for a minimum of three months to work on the transition to care and maintenance. In addition, some employees will be required for a longer period to work on the various options being considered for the plant.
The company is also taking steps to retain core skills within the organisation and will be actively seeking opportunities to redeploy employees to other BHP Billiton operations.
“Over coming weeks we will be talking to employees to better understand their personal circumstances and will be doing our utmost to help people find ongoing employment, preferably within BHP Billiton,” Mr Kirke said.
“We are mindful that the past six months has been a very difficult time and are grateful to employees, contractors and the community for their ongoing support.”
Operations at the Boodarie Iron plant have been suspended since a tragic accident in May 2004, which resulted in the death of one employee and severe injuries to three others.
BHP Billiton commissioned internal and external investigations into the accident, including an independent investigation ordered by the State Mining Engineer under Section 45b of the Mines Safety and Inspection Act.
BHP Billiton has recently been advised that the full Section 45 report will not be complete until the end of November due to the complex nature of the investigation and the volume of information that has to be processed.
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