Qld Coal Mining Board of Inquiry report scathing of inspectorate’s response to Grosvenor mine
The inspectorate failed to identify Grosvenor mine as a ‘problem mine that was deserving of particular and greater attention’.
Mackay
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An inquiry established by Queensland's former mines minister into the Grosvenor mine explosion has savaged the actions of a state government department in the lead up to the disaster.
Part two of the Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry's report into the Grosvenor mine explosion was tabled in parliament on Monday.
It found the Queensland Mines Inspectorate failed to identify Anglo American's Grosvenor mine as a "problem mine that was deserving of particular and greater attention".
In March, the Board of Inquiry heard the inspectorate did not shut the mine despite a spate of high potential incident notifications.
HPI is the term used to describe an incident which could have caused a serious adverse effect on safety and health.
There were 27 HPIs that occurred between July 1, 2019 and May 5, 2020 at Grosvenor mine.
Just a day after a HPI was recorded on May 5, 2020, five men were horrifically burned during an explosion at the site.
The inquiry heard the mine did shut once for 36 hours after a spate of HPIs.
"Grosvenor's history on previous longwalls was such as to require close attention by the Inspectorate to the mine's gas management systems and practices at (longwall 104)," the inquiry report said.
"This did not occur, with the result that there was a lost opportunity to discover that the mine's production rate exceeded the capacity of its goaf drainage system.
"The Inspectorate should have been more proactive."
More stories:
Report reveals likely cause of Grosvenor mine disaster
Managers exposed Grosvenor miners to 'unacceptable risk'
The board recommended Resources Safety and Health Queensland conduct a review of its risk profiling and response practices "with a view to ensuring that it operates as a proactive regulator".
In a statement, RSHQ said over the past 12 months of the inquiry, its officers had appeared as witnesses at hearings, provided briefings to the board and co-operated with the board's requests for documents.
"RSHQ will continue to help coal mine operators meet their obligations to protect coal mine workers and give effect to the board's recommendations about improving risk-management," the statement said.
"We are also committed to ensuring any relevant learnings are applied to other resources operations.
"Our vision is for a Queensland resources industry free from serious harm."
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