Anglo American pleads guilty in Australia coal mine death

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Miner Anglo American (AAL.L) has pleaded guilty in an Australian court to charges relating to the death of a worker who was sent to a poisonous site at an Australian coal mine.

Anglo American on Thursday entered a guilty plea to failing to meet its safety obligations and causing the death of 36-year-old electrician Paul McGuire at its Grasstree mine on May 6, 2014, the clerk of the Mackay Magistrates Court in Queensland state said.

A spokeswoman in Australia for London-based Anglo American said the plea was a matter of public record and declined further comment.

McGuire died almost instantly after breathing toxic fumes while preparing to work on a gas sensor in a part of the mine where coal had already been extracted and which was sealed off, the court was told.

Anglo American faces a maximum penalty of A$550,000 (344,855 pounds) in relation to the charges, according to a local media report. Sentencing will take place in November.

(Reporting by James Regan; Editing by Richard Pullin)