NSW Resources Regulator says miner Craig Hugo not wearing ‘fall’ equipment when he fell through small hole to death at Ellalong

Initial investigations into the death of a miner, who slipped through a small hole and down a 400m shaft to his death at an old Hunter coal mine, has found he was not wearing “fall” equipment during the decommissioning work.

Contract mine worker Craig Hugo died when he fell down one of two sections of steel plate which had been cut out over a 400m mine shaft during the decommissioning of the Austar coal mine at Ellalong. The picture shows arrows pointing to each area of cut steel plate. Picture: NSW Resources Regulator.

A contract mine worker who slipped through a 50cm wide hole and down a 400m shaft to his death was not wearing “fall prevention” or “fall arrest” equipment, initial investigations have found.

The NSW Resources Regulator released preliminary details of the investigation into the death of Craig Hugo at the former Austar coal mine at Ellalong on September 17.

Mr Hugo, an experienced miner, was working with contractors to decommission the Yancoal-owned mine, which had stopped production in 2020 and was being prepared for closure.

As part of those works, Mr Hugo and other miners were working near the mine’s number two shaft at Dry Creek Road at Ellalong.

They were preparing to attach steel plates to beams fixed to the shaft cover when Mr Hugo died.

The preliminary report said two sections had been cut out of the existing steel plates that were fixed to several beams on the shaft cover.

The largest of these “cuts”, which exposed the 400m deep shaft, was two metres long and about 50cm wide.

Miner Craig Hugo, 59, who died after falling down a mine shaft in the state's Hunter Region on September 17.

Mr Hugo has fallen through one of those exposed holes to his death.

“Initial inquiries indicated that fall prevention and/or fall arrest equipment was not used at the time of the incident,” the report said.

Police were called to Dry Creek Road at Ellalong at a decommissioned mine owned by Yancoal after Craig Hugo fell 400 meters down an old shaft.

The regulator also published a photograph of the area where Mr Hugo fell, showing the two small holes behind crime scene tape.

A rescue operation continued at the site for more than a day before Mr Hugo’s body was recovered.

“The Resources Regulator commenced an investigation to determine the cause and circumstances of the incident that will explore the effectiveness of controls to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety arising from fall from heights including: planning and co-ordinating the work; communication leading up to the incident; instruction, training, experience and supervision of the workers; adequacy of risk assessments, work instructions and procedures,” the preliminary report said.

“The mine operator and other parties are assisting with the investigation.

“A report will be published when the investigation is concluded.”