FAQ

As KCGM is so large, how do they know that Safety is working across site?

As KCGMs number one focus is Safety, they have allocated a Safety Coordinator or Safety Representative for each of their departments that form a Safety Committee. Within this Safety Committee, members discuss Safety issues that have occurred across site and discuss options in which to manage it. If one site has experienced an issue within their department, each Safety Committee member is informed and asked on how to approach and control the issue so that it will not occur again on site.

Other issues discussed at the Safety Committee meetings include, Safety Performance, Frequency Rates, Compliance with Authority bodies as well as much more.

How big is the Super Pit and how big will it get?

The current Super Pit is approximately 3.6km long, 1.5km wide and 500 metres deep. The approved long-term pit development will see the Super Pit grow to be approximately 3.9km long, 1.6km wide and exceed 500 metres in depth. KCGMs geologists continue to drill exploration holes and look for every opportunity to add to the mine ore reserves and life of the operation.

How long does it take for a truck to get out of the Superpit?

That depends on where the truck is being loaded and where it is hauling to. On average it takes around 35 minutes for a truck to get loaded, haul out of the pit, dump its load and return to the shovel. About two thirds of this time is taken up in hauling out of the pit.

How many trucks do you have?

We have 40 Cat 793 haul trucks which carry 225 tonnes every load.

How much gold does a truck carry?

A CAT 793 haul truck carries 225 tonnes of rock. With an average grade of just over 2 grams per tonne, the truck carries between 450 and 500 grams of gold. If it was all in one lump it would be about the size of a golf ball. Unfortunately not every truck has gold in it. Only about 1 truck in 7 carries ore, the rest carry waste or low grade material.

How much gold does the Super Pit produce?

Up to 800,000 ounces of gold a year are produced from the Fimiston Open Pit (Super Pit) and the underground operation Mount Charlotte.

What hours is the Super Pit mined?

The Super Pit is mined 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

What is a Frequency Rate and how are they used on site?

A Frequency Rate is a number calculated to indicate the degree of occurrence relating to injuries across site. Although KCGM, and most other organisations aim to have zero workplace injuries for employees and contractors, there are still those that unfortunately occur due to unforseen circumstances. For this reason, KCGM must calculate these Frequency Rates to determine if Safety is being effectively managed across site. Frequency Rates are also performed to measure a sites performance to those of other organisations and or industries.

A Frequency Rate is worked out by the following basic formula:
Number of Injuries for an entire site or department over a specific period of time (ie Month/Year) x 1,000,000 divided by the Number of man-hours worked for that period of time (ie Month/Year).

What is gold used for?

Aircraft, Camcorders, Cameras, CDs, Cellular phones, Currency, Electronic products, Fax machines, Jewellery, Lasers, Medicine, Modems, Motor vehicles – brakes, airbags, locking systems, Pacemakers, Personal computers, Printers, Radar Equipment
Telecommunications, Telephone jacks, Telephones, TVs, VCRs

What is the surface area of the pit?

Approx 2.7 square kilometres

What other minerals is gold associated with?

Gold occurs with pyrite, chalcopyrite, tellurides of gold, silver, mercury and lead.

What sort of mining is done at KCGM?

KCGM utilises two styles of mining. The Fimiston Operation or Superpit is a hard rock, open cut mining operation. The Mt Charlotte mine is an underground operation utilising the Open Stoping method. For more info on the mining methods at KCGM see the section on Gold Production.

What was in the Super Pit area before?

The Fimiston Open Pit (Super Pit) has swallowed up other smaller open pits named: Judd, South, Paringa, Croesus/Eclipse, Central, Brownhill, Drysdale, Morrison, North and Horseshoe. Other shafts located within the current Super Pit included Main, Croesus, Chaffers, Lake View and Perseverance.

When will you stop Mining the Super Pit?

At the moment it is expected that KCGM will finish mining the Super Pit in 2021.

Where is the Super Pit?

KCGM’s operation is at the south-east corner of the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, which is about 600kms east of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.

Who owns the Superpit?

KCGM Pty Ltd manages the assets for joint venture partners, Newmont Australia Limited and Barrick Gold of Australia Ltd.

Why is Fimiston Gold Refractory?

The gold deportment is 30% native gold, 25% telluride gold, 35% gold inclusions in pyrite and 10% very fine invisible inclusions in pyrite. It is the gold locked in the pyrite and tellurides that make the ore refractory. The ore needs to be roasted to liberate the gold.