Gas leaks plagued coalmine before horror explosion injured five

The Grosvenor underground coalmine was forced to stop work repeatedly due to high methane levels before a gas explosion left five miners fighting for their lives.

One of five coalminers who suffered terrible burns in the explosion arrives at the Royal Flying Doctor Service base in Brisbane on Wednesday night. Picture: AAP

Anglo American’s Grosvenor underground coalmine was forced to stop work repeatedly due to high methane levels in the days before a gas explosion left five miners seriously burnt and fighting for their lives.

Underground sensors at the central Queensland metallurgical coalmine were repeatedly triggered by elevated methane levels in the past week, causing the automatic shutdown of power and forcing work to stop for up to two hours at a time.

Queensland’s chief inspector of coalmines, Peter Newman, confirmed his inspectors had visit­ed the mine on April 15 and raised concerns, but would not elaborate.

The Queensland government is considering ordering a rare public­ board of inquiry into the explosion on Wednesday afternoon, which left five labour-hire workers in their 40s and 50s with terrible injuries. Four suffered burns to their lungs, throats and faces, and all five are understood to have been hit with a blast so powerful it melted their helmets and burnt their uniforms.

The men were flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Three are in intensive care, and two are being treated in the world-class burns unit.

CFMEU mining division president Steve Smyth said the Anglo American mine had been plagued by gas management problems since it started longwall produc­tion in 2016.

“This mine has issues with gas; they have issues with managing the gas,” Mr Smyth said.

One mine worker said there had been issues with gas throughout the week, usually resulting in short shutdowns.

The source said there had been several shutdowns this week.

A separate mining industry source confirmed the mine had experienced many “gas trips out of the floor”, with the gas monitors tripping the power and ­shutting down work. Workers waited for up to two hours for it to be safe to start work again.

The five men are understood to have been working in the tailgate section of the longwall, furth­est away from the entrance to the underground mine, when the explosion­ happened. They were not cutting coal, but are believed to have been shifting a large piece of equipment called a chock, used to support the roof of the mine.

The Grosvenor mine is known to be prone to emissions of high-pressure methane from the floor of the shaft, which is difficult to manage. It is understood the company­ does not know what caused the explosion. No one has been back underground since the mine was evacuated and work stopped in the immediate aftermath of the blast.

The deputy chief inspector of coalmines, Shaun Dobson, is leading the investigation, and a 3D scanner was expected to be shifted on Thursday night to survey­ and map the scene.

Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said the state government would demand to know what went wrong and was seeking advice to determine whether to call the first public board of inquiry investi­gation since the Moura mine explosion disaster’s mining warden’s inquiry in 1994. Eleven miners died in that explosion.

Anglo American declined to comment on the gas management allegations. Coalmines in the area, particularly those ­mining the Goonyella Middle­ Seam, are notorious for problems with gas. Peabody­’s nearby North Goonyella mine caught fire in September 2018 after it had ­recorded rising methane levels.

The incident caps a horror ­period in Queensland’s resources sector, in which eight mines and quarry workers have died in just over 18 months. Industrial manslaughter legislation is still before parliament waiting to be passed, but major mining companies, including­ Anglo American, have raised concerns about its drafting.

Anglo American metallurgical coal chief executive Tyler Mitchelson said Wednesday’s incident was devastating and the company would work with the authorities to understand what went wrong. “There is a great deal of shock and concern for our colleagues, and we are providing all the assistance we can,” he said.

Mr Newman told ABC Radio mines inspectors had spoken with the mine last month. Asked if any safety issues were identified, he said: “Whenever you bring a fresh pair of eyes to an operation, there are always either recommendations for improvements in certain aspects of the mine, or at the worst case a directive in terms of the mine taking particular action.”