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Tributes are flowing for Australian reality star Ronald “Ron” Selig following his death in a freak workplace accident.

Selig, who was a regular fixture on the Outback Opal Hunters series, died in late November 2022 after falling from the roof of a workshop at an industrial site.

However, news of the 66-year-old’s death is only now beginning to circulate after it was confirmed by the program on social media earlier this month.

“We are saddened to inform that Ron Selig has passed away,” the show recently posted in a moving Facebook tribute.

“Ron was a much loved member of the Outback Opal Hunters Family. A great character and amazing Opal Hunter, always chasing that colour.

“We will always fondly remember Ron.”

Selig’s daughter Mel also used her father’s social media account to confirm his passing and thank supporters for their kind words.

“We thank you all so very much with your loving kindness and condolences,” she posted.

“The passing and the loss of our father Ron has been the most challenging time for me and our whole family.

“Ron is exactly how he is in real life, as he was on Outback Opal Hunters. Ron was the most amazing, sensational son, father, grandfather and friend to all.

“Dad was a kind, caring and a fun-loving man, who always would come out with the funniest jokes!”

Mel Selig added that her father was also an “easygoing guy” and said he would have been “extremely moved” by the outpouring of emotion in the wake of his death.

“Our family has amazing gratitude for the fact that my dad/Ron was a part of Outback Opal Hunters. We will also continue to enjoy the episodes he was on, as I’m sure you all will too,” she wrote.

“Thanks again for your loving kindness and condolences to Ron Selig.

“He was definitely one of a kind, we shall dearly miss our dad/grandfather Ro️n.”

Selig, from the Sunshine Coast, appeared in several seasons of the show, and mined in the Opalton area in outback Queensland.

He was a part of the Boulder Opal Boys Downunder group, and was the loader driver, head chef and “Eagle Eye Opal Checker”.

In an alert published on January 19, 2023, Resources Safety and Health Queensland’s Mineral Mines and Quarries Inspectorate confirmed an opal mine worker “suffered fatal injuries when he fell from the roof of a workshop”.

“The incident is still under investigation, however, it is understood the worker accessed the roof of the workshop to make repairs following damage caused by a severe weather event when a structural member failed … causing the worker to fall approximately 5.8 metres to [the] ground,” the alert states.

It explained the key issues in the incident were “working at heights without appropriate fall restraint/arrest personal protective equipment (PPE)” as well as “damage to the structural integrity of the workshop”.

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As a result, several recommendations were made, including that all site senior executives should ensure people working at heights are “appropriately trained and assessed as competent to perform the task safely”, “ensure appropriate facilities are provided to minimise the risk of persons falling from heights”, “ensure repairs or modifications to fixed plant structures are performed in accordance with the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) design and instructions, so that it remains fit for its intended use and work environment, and that “emergency services are provided with detailed instructions on both the location and travel routes to enable the most efficient access to remote mining operations”.

A safety investigation has been launched, with police now preparing a report for the coroner.

Selig was farewelled at a funeral held on the Sunshine Coast on December 20.

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