Resources Safety and Health Queensland reveals insight on how mine workers are prepared for emergencies

The Queensland mining safety body has revealed rare insight into how coal mines prepare their workers in case of emergencies.

RSHQ reveals insight on how mine workers are preparing for emergencies. Picture: Contributed

Resources Safety and Health Queensland has released rare insight into how Bowen Basin coal mines prepare their workers in case of emergencies.

The results of the exercise identified several recommendations that highlighted the need for mines to better co-ordinate personnel when responding to an emergency.

Two emergency response exercises were performed at Aquila Underground Coal Mine, which is located approximately 31km southwest of Middlemount at the end of 2023.

This comes as a University of Queensland expert revealed statistics on mine deaths have remained at a similar levels for the past ten years.

RSHQ reveals insight on how mine workers are preparing for emergencies. Picture: Contributed

The first exercise performed on September 13 2023, consisted in reacting to the collision between a load haul dump (LHD) and a special underground car called a Driftrunner.

Both drivers were injured, and both tried to flee but one driver went missing.

In the second scenario performed on November 7 2023, a LHD machine caught fire, burning the operator on his face and hands.

He would call his control room operator to let them know he was walking away from the incident, but then went missing.

RSHQ’s Chief Inspector of Coal Jacques le Roux said both scenarios had required mine workers and specialised mine rescue teams to test their mine site incident response, their ability to triage injured coal mine workers, use rescue equipment correctly, communicate effectively, and in some instances self-escape.

RSHQ reveals insight on how mine workers are preparing for emergencies. Picture: Contributed

“The goal is to learn from each exercise, then share that with industry,” said Mr le Roux.

“In a way this is when we would welcome mistakes because it means we’ll know the areas where we can improve.”

After both exercises were performed, the health and safety body analysed the results and identified a number of recommendations they would submit to the industry.

Some overall recommendations included the need to keep gear up to date, review their software for logging purposes, and improve the management of personnel during emergencies, as they had identified certain parts of the mine becoming “overcrowded” when the exercise was ongoing.

It also recommended to review the process for escape for stretcher cases, stating that “some crew members who managed the wheeled stretcher cases experienced high fatigue”.