Probe assigns blame in death

WINNEMUCCA -- Management has been faulted for an April accident at an underground gold mine east of Winnemucca that killed a miner.

A Mine Safety and Health Administration investigation concluded that Kenneth Barbosa died at Barrick Gold's Getchell Mine near Golconda because "management failed to provide competent ground where miners worked or traveled."

Barbosa and two other miners were working on equipment in an access drift when the roof caved in. The cemented rock fill fell from the back and covered Barbosa.

Barbosa was a contract worker employed by Small Mine Development, an independent contractor that operated Getchell. Barrick has since severed ties with the Idaho-based company.

"Management engaged in aggravated conduct constituting more than ordinary negligence in that ground support was not designed, installed or maintained in a safe manner," the MSHA report found.

Barbosa was the third miner in less than a year to die at Getchell. Curtis Johnson died in a roof fall in August 2007. Mike Millican died in January after being struck by underground mining equipment.

Small Mine Development President Ron Guill was not available for comment.

A Barrick spokesman told the Elko Daily Free Press that Getchell has been shut down since the April fatality.