Coal news and updates

Whitehaven reaches safety milestone at Gunnedah

Whitehaven Coal has celebrated 4000 lost time incident (LTI) free days at its Gunnedah coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP).

The Gunnedah CHPP is located in New South Wales and currently processes up to three million tonnes of coal per annum.

According to the Australian coal miner, the plant’s safety achievement is equivalent to about 11 years without a LTI and demonstrated the strong leadership and safety processes that have been maintained within the Gunnedah CHPP.

“I strongly believe that this achievement is the result of a work culture based on hard work and commitment to teamwork, strong inter-team support, personal ownership of systems and continuous improvement,” Whitehaven Gunnedah CHPP production superintendent Derek Welsh said.

“The team’s commitment to safety remains unwavering, even in the face of various challenges, including handling different coal types, increased production operations, and ongoing maintenance work that requires extended hours.

“Operators at the CHPP do not take shortcuts and they understand that safety is paramount.”

The achievement coincides with Whitehaven’s commitment to zero harm and the safety of its people, workplaces and the communities that surround its operations.

Whitehaven released its December 2023 quarter report last week, where it revealed that its 2023–24 financial year (FY24) total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) to date is 3.96 for employees and contractors.

This figure is a 16 per cent improvement on the TRIFR of 4.74 reported for FY23.

Subscribe to Australian Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.