Pit Wall Collapse

Barrick rejects halt, cover-up claims
Friday, 28 March 2008

CANADIAN resources company Barrick Gold has rejected claims by mining opposition groups of an operational halt and pit collapse cover-up.

As part of an annual Easter demonstration, anti-mining protesters at Barrick's Lake Cowal gold mine in New South Wales said their presence succeeded in a temporary mining halt at the operation.

However, Barrick said the shutdown claims were false and said any alteration to mine sequencing was due to wet weather conditions at the mine.

"They didn't have any impact on production and they didn't halt production," Barrick public affairs manager Celina Watt told MiningNews.net.

In another miner-protester fracas at Lake Cowal, a group seeking native title over Lake Cowal accused Barrick of covering up a pit collapse in a temporary wall at the goldmine late last year.

Barrick confirmed the occurrence of the collapse (or 'slip') but rejected suggestions of a cover up. The company said all relevant authorities, as well as employees and community representatives, were notified at the time.

"These things do happen," Watt told MiningNews.net. "It wasn't a cover up from Barrick's point of view."

No one was injured in the pit collapse and work continues in unaffected areas of the pit.