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The owner of a major timber mill in regional South Australia says it will be shut until Monday while authorities investigate the death of a long-time worker at the site.
SafeWork SA and SA Police are investigating the death of a man at the Timberlink Australia mill at Tarpeena, in the state's south-east, early on Wednesday morning.
Emergency services were called to the mill just after 1:30am.
A SafeWork SA spokesman said the death happened "following an incident involving a front-end loader".
A $90 million expansion of the Tarpeena mill was opened earlier this year and is one of the largest in the south-east. (Supplied: Timberlink)
Timberlink added in a statement that the worker involved was an electrician who had been with the company for more than 20 years.
"The incident occurred in an exclusion zone and the worker was struck by mobile plant," the statement said.
"Systems and processes are present to manage the health and safety risks associated with pedestrian and mobile plant interaction at site and these are currently being reviewed."
A SafeWork SA investigator and inspector have attended the mill and are making further enquiries around the circumstances of the incident.
Police and SafeWork SA are at the mill investigating the death. (ABC South East SA: Sam Bradbrook)
Mill to reopen with 'safe start'
A $90 million expansion to the Tarpeena mill was opened earlier this year and the site is one of the largest mills in the south-east.
Timberlink said the site would reopen for a "safe start half day" on Monday followed by regular operations on Tuesday if all goes well.
"We are devastated to lose a valued, longstanding member of the Timberlink family," the company said in its statement.
"We extend our condolences to the worker's family, friends and co-workers at such a difficult time and express our deepest sympathy to everyone affected."
The exterior of the new expansion of the Timberlink Australia mill. (ABC South East SA: Elsie Adamo)
'Shock waves' in small town
About 400 people live in Tarpeena, and many of the workers come from other larger towns such as Mount Gambier.
Lynton Cram, the licensee of the local pub and the chair of the Tarpeena Progress and Recreation Association committee, said the death came as a shock to the town.
Local Lynton Cram says everyone in Tarpeena knows each other. (ABC South East SA: Sam Bradbrook )
"It sends shock waves through the town. It is a very negative feeling," he said.
"As much as people try to be positive about everything in a little community, which I think Tarpeena is, everyone knows everybody.
"Whether you work at the mill or not you know everybody who works there, so when something like that happens it's a terrible shock."