The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has been advised and the incident is being investigated by the appropriate authorities with the assistance of the company and contractor management teams.

The Directors and staff of Western Metals express their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

It is believed that the man, who was employed by Monodelphous, suffered severe head injuries after the loader he was driving rolled into the wall of the mine's decline.

No more details are available at this stage.

This is the first mining fatality for 2003. Last year, two fatalities occurred on WA minesites.