Company fined after woman’s horror attack by pack of dingoes at gold mine site

A mining company has copped an eye-watering fine after a woman was attacked by a pack of sly dingoes while eating lunch.

Newcrest Mining Limited was fined $105,000 and ordered to pay $6255 in costs following the attack by multiple dingoes.

A mining company has been ordered to pay more than $110,000 after a woman eating a sandwich suffered serious injuries during an attack by a pack of sneaky dingoes — and it was not the first time someone was bitten.

The contractor for Newcrest Mining Limited was working at the Telfer gold mine, in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, as part of a maintenance shutdown in July 2018 when she was mauled.

She had been eating a sandwich in the barbecue area when a young dingo jumped on her table.

After she waved the animal down, it sat nearby and she took a photograph, then felt another dingo sniffing her but it would not move away.

When a third dingo arrived, the woman placed her food in a bin but left her mobile phone on the table with a napkin over the top.

In that time, the young dingo snatched her phone and dropped it near a hedge.

As she moved to pick up the phone, the two other dingoes attacked her.

Her screams alerted other workers, who came to her rescue.

The woman was attacked by two dingoes, while a third also played a role in the sneaky attack.

She was treated at the mine site’s medical centre, then transferred to Port Hedland Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, before getting further treatment at Royal Perth Hospital.

The woman suffered wounds to multiple parts of her body and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Newcrest faced Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday, and was fined $105,000 and ordered to pay $6255 in costs.

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety acting director of mines safety Sally North said employers must ensure their staff were equally safe in their accommodation areas.

“There have been several incidents recorded at Telfer, including four others where staff members were bitten,” she said.

Since this incident, Newcrest has built fencing and secured its rubbish bins.

The company has also implemented education about what to do if a dingo approaches.

Originally published as Company fined after woman’s horror attack by pack of dingoes at gold mine site