Mastermyne safety report released following deaths of at Central Queensland mines

After two Central Qld mining fatalities in less than 12 months, a new safety review report for a major mining labour hire company has been released. Here are some of the findings.

Despite two fatalities in 12 months, a new safety report has found “no major flaws” in safety management by a major Queensland mining labour hire company.

Metarock, which is the parent company of Mastermyne, commissioned an organisational safety review of the current state of the company’s approach to health and safety management with special emphasis on major risk management.

It comes after two fatalities at sites managed by Mastermyne.

Gavin Feltwell, 59, died at the Moranbah North Mine following an incident underground in March.

In September last year Graham Dawson, 60, died following an incident at the Sojitz Blue Gregory Crinum mine. 

In the report it was noted both the Gregory Crinum and Moranbah North sites were left out of the review as official investigations into both incidents continued.

According to the report findings “no major flaws” were identified and it was said there was “good intent, commitment and energy for safety and health throughout the organisation”.

“The severe shortage and competition for experienced and skilled underground labour, the remnant impacts of the pandemic, the recent doubling of the size of the organisation with the acquisition of Pybar and the emotional, legal and financial impacts from the fatalities are all placing additional strain on the business to operate in a “business as usual” format,” the report said.

Gavin Feltwell, 59, died at the Anglo American Moranbah North underground mine shortly after 10pm Friday, March 25, 2022, when a four-tonne load shifted and fell while dismantling conveyor equipment. He suffered critical head injuries and died at the scene. Picture: Facebook

“Both Mastermyne and Pybar have comprehensive safety and health systems and supporting frameworks in place with a full suit of key tools and processes available for use.”

A number of recommendations were made with the company to implement all.

Recommendations included simplifying, consolidating and implementing a long term company wide safety and health approach that focuses on the elimination of fatalities and control of major mine risk, reduction of personal injuries and illnesses, role of leadership and expectations for front line supervisors.

The report also recommended consolidating the major risks and critical controls for Metarock into a consistent risk framework and appoint risk and control owners at relevant operations.

It also recommended establishing safety key performance indicators and targets for line managers and linking them to the appraisal, recognition and reward system.

Metarock managing director Tony Caruso said the board had agreed to adopt all of the recommendations “unconditionally” and would work diligently to implement them across the entire business.

“Our organisation has been rocked to the core by the two tragedies that occurred in the past year and we welcome the findings and recommendations from the organisational safety review,” he said.

Graham Dawson.

The Mining and Energy Union said the review reinforced the risks involved with mine operators outsourcing employment to contracting companies.

MEU Queensland president Stephen Smyth said it was “a joke” the review found “no major flaws”.

“Mastermyne (has) got the safety review (it) paid for. They sought no input from workers and blame everything on circumstances outside their control,” he claimed.

“It is galling to hear the company complain about skills shortages when what we see across the industry is shortages where jobs are insecure and pay and conditions are substandard.

“The big mining companies and big labour companies collaborate on an employment model where they both make money out of cutting job security and conditions, putting workers in a vulnerable position where they lack support and can’t speak up.”

Mr Smyth said Mastermyne was known for fast-tracking inexperienced workers into supervisory roles and that the recommendations about being more accountable for safety on site were too little too late.

“It seems like Mastermyne has been handing over workers to the mine operators, pocketing the cash and taking no interest in safety processes or conditions on site. They’ve waited for two tragic fatalities to commit to undertaking thorough risk assessments of jobs they are supplying workers to.

“This just reinforces the need for production workers to be directly employed by mine operators wherever possible.”