Regis Restarts Duketon Gold Mine After Contractor Death; Rosemont Plant Stays Shut for WorkSafe Probe
Regis Resources restarts Duketon after a contractor died on 6 Nov; the Rosemont plant stays shut for WorkSafe. 253 live WA mining ads on 9 Nov.
Regis Resources has restarted its Duketon gold operations in WA's northern Goldfields after a contract worker died there on Friday 6 November, but the Rosemont process plant, where the incident happened, remains shut. The company told the ASX on 9 November that it is working with WorkSafe and other authorities on their investigation.
What happened at Duketon South?
A contract worker was fatally injured while carrying out work at Duketon South on Friday 6 November. The AAP report carried by The Nightly said it happened in the afternoon. Regis confirmed the death in an ASX announcement on Monday 9 November. The announcement says the incident happened at the Rosemont process plant.
The company has not said what caused the incident, and it has not named the worker or the contracting firm they worked for. Those questions now sit with the investigators. AAP reported that WA Police and WorkSafe were called in.
Managing director and CEO Jim Beyer said in the announcement: "All of us at Regis are devastated by the loss of our colleague on Friday." He said the company would keep supporting everyone affected.
Is the Duketon mine still operating?
Mostly, yes. Regis says it suspended all Duketon operations immediately after the incident. It then restarted the site in stages under its incident recovery plan.
As of 9 November, every Duketon operation except the Rosemont process plant has resumed. The company did not give a date for the plant to restart.
Duketon is a large site. Regis's analyst site visit presentation, lodged with the ASX on 2 November, says the operation covers a land package of about 2,500 square kilometres. It lists three processing mills across Duketon South and Duketon North, plus underground mines at Rosemont and Garden Well.
How big is Duketon for Regis?
Duketon is Regis's largest operation. The same presentation shows it produced 56.1 thousand ounces of gold in the September quarter. That was about two thirds of the group's 83.0 thousand ounces.
Regis has guided for 240,000 to 270,000 ounces from Duketon in the 2027 financial year. The AAP report puts the site about 780 kilometres north-east of Perth. Business News described it as north of Laverton.
The presentation also reported a lost time injury frequency rate of 0.0 per million hours for the September quarter. It listed prestart safety programs, including one focused on critical hazards that can kill.
What does this mean for WA mine workers?
For most Duketon workers, the restart means work has resumed. The announcement does not say what Rosemont plant staff are doing while the plant stays closed, or whether any have moved to other parts of the site.
The death is a reminder that contractors carry much of the risk on WA mine sites. Regis's own announcement describes the worker as one of its "contract team members", and the investigation will cover the work being done at the plant.
Elsewhere, WA mining employers are still hiring. On 9 November, Jobs In Perth listed 253 live direct mining ads in WA. Of the 50 newest, 22 were FIFO roles, and 11 close within a week. None of those 50 quoted an annual salary.
| Hub (direct ads) | Live ads 9 Nov | Most active employer in newest ads | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, WA | 253 | Mineral Resources (22 of 50) | Rio Tinto 19, BHP 6, Fortescue 3 |
| FIFO, WA | 132 | Mineral Resources (20 of 50) | 9 of the newest 50 close within 7 days |
| Mining, Kalgoorlie | 22 | Mineral Resources (22) | Includes a Safety Advisor role |
The Goldfields ads lean toward underground and maintenance work. Roles include a senior underground geologist, heavy diesel fitters, a blast hole driller and a mining supervisor. Earlier this month we tracked which regional WA towns had the most live ads.
How we reported this
- The date, location, suspension, staged restart, Rosemont plant closure and Jim Beyer quote come from Regis Resources' ASX announcement of 9 November 2026.
- Duketon production, guidance, land area, mills and safety figures come from Regis's analyst site visit presentation lodged with the ASX on 2 November 2026.
- The 780 km distance and police attendance are from the AAP report published by The Nightly. The Laverton location is from Business News.
- Jobs In Perth figures are live direct-from-employer ads observed on 9 November 2026. They are advertised vacancies, not people employed.
- Cover image: AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the event.
Sources
- Regis Resources (ASX: RRL): Fatal Incident at Duketon South (9 November 2026)
- Regis Resources: Analyst Duketon Site Visit Presentation (2 November 2026)
- The Nightly (AAP): Contract worker killed in accident at remote Regis gold mine (November 2026)
- Business News: Worker dies at Regis mine (6 November 2026)
About this reporting
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