Anglo American makes own call on safety

A mine safety regulator says there is a disconnect between Anglo American’s definition of potentially dangerous incidents and state law.

Anglo American’s Grosvenor mine in central Queensland’s Bowen Basin, where an underground explosion on May 6 nearly killed five workers. Picture: Tony Martin

Queensland’s top mine safety regulator says there is a “concerning” disconnect between mining giant Anglo American’s definition of potentially dangerous incidents and state law.

Corporate documents uncovered by a rare board of inquiry reveal Anglo American’s definition of a “high-potential incident” (HPIs) is different to that in Queensland legislation, raising concerns about the company possibly under-reporting safety issues to the regulator.

The board of inquiry — led by retired judge Terry Martin — is investigating an underground methane explosion at Anglo’s Grosvenor coalmine, in central Queensland’s Bowen Basin, on May 6, which badly burned five men. It is also probing 40 other HPIs of dangerously high methane levels recorded at Grosvenor, Anglo’s Grasstree and Moranbah North mines, and Oaky Creek Holdings’ Oaky North coalmine from July 2019 to the date of the blast. Counsel assisting the ­inquiry Jeff Hunter QC said state law defined an HPI as something that causes, or has the potential to cause, a significant adverse effect on the safety and health of a person. All HPIs need to be reported to the mines inspectorate, including when a mine records a ­methane level of more than 2.5 per cent. Methane becomes explosive at 5 per cent.

But Mr Hunter said documents disclosed to the inquiry by Anglo showed the company had its own definition of an “Anglo HPI”, including an incident that had a “reasonable worst-case potential consequence” of a single permanent disability or fatality.

Resources Safety and Health Queensland acting chief executive Mark Stone said it appeared the “Anglo HPI” set a “higher bar” than the statutory definition, meaning only the most serious incidents were classed by the company as HPIs. An Anglo document said incidents that “may qualify” included a gas ­ignition underground or workers being exposed to a blast.

“My understanding of this document is there is a disconnect in how the legislation would ­describe a high potential incident, and how this (Anglo) document would categorise one … (the) disconnect is a concern to me, because it could potentially under-report incidents,” Mr Stone said.

Saul Holt QC, for Anglo, said the company was “alive to that issue” and said, as it was a global mining company, it was possible the “language that’s used across the whole of the organisation conflicts with language used in a particular jurisdiction”.

Mr Stone said he did not know whether any HPIs were not reported by Anglo as a result of the internal definition.

An investigation by The Australian recently revealed Anglo’s Grosvenor mine had recorded dangerously high methane levels since it started underground mining in 2016, with at least 98 HPIs reported to the inspectorate. The inquiry is investigating 27 HPIs at Grosvenor alone since July 2019.

The inquiry also heard the government’s mines inspectorate was chronically understaffed because it could not match the salaries offered by mining companies for the most experienced staff.