Investigation into death of Graham Dawson at Gregory Crinum Mine continues

Entry to the area where a worker was killed and another miner trapped and seriously injured is still closed amid investigations into the September mine tragedy. Read the new details of the investigation here.

Entry to the area, where worker Graham Dawson, 60, was killed and another 25-year-old miner was trapped for four hours and seriously injured, at a Central Queensland mine remains suspended as the investigation continues.

The closure has meant the first coal production at the Sojitz Gregory Crinum coal mine has been delayed by about three months.

Emergency services were called to the mine 60km north east of Emerald around midnight on September 14.

Mr Dawson, of Bribie Island, suffered critical injuries and was declared dead at the scene.

Graham Dawson.jpg

His co-worker, aged 25, sustained crush injuries to his legs and pelvis and was trapped underground for more than four hours before he was able to be pulled out and flown to Rockhampton Hospital for treatment.

It was revealed in the days after the incident that three men were doing work in a conveyor drift and two of them were in a man basket, drilling holes into the roof and when a part of the roof dislodged and fell onto them.

RACQ CapRescue responded to a collapse at the Sojitz Gregory Crinum Coal Mine near Emerald in September. Picture: RACQ CapRescue

It was the third worker who was nearby that initiated the emergency response.

It took four days to retrieve Mr Dawson’s body from the underground mine.

Japanese subsidiary Sojitz Blue purchased the mothballed mine from BMA in March 2019 for $100 million.

The mine is operated by Mackay-based mining contracting service Mastermyne Group Limited, that was awarded a $600 million contract for the project in June.

Mastermyne recently provided an update around the Crinum Mine Operations, which revealed new details about the incident.

The fall of ground reportedly occurred about 400 metres down the 800 metre-long conveyor drift.

Location of the fall at Gregory Crinum Mine.

The fallen ground was contained to a very isolated area of the drifts.

Several similar localised falls in the area have been “safely remediated” over the past three months, with the incident location the last to be repaired.

Access to both drifts is “temporarily suspended”, pending the finalisation of an investigation and completion of the safe re-entry plan.

There have been no changes to the underground mine support plan or production methodology following the incident.

Overhaul and surface work has recommenced at the site and the first coal production is forecast to have been delayed by 12 weeks.

The mine employs 180 full-time personnel at production.

Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) is heading the investigation of the incident and was unable to answer if the findings would be made public, only saying the investigation was “progressing”.

“The objectives of RSHQ’s investigation are to determine the nature and cause of the accident, to help identify improvements that can be made in protecting workers; and to identify any potential breaches of safety and health obligations,” their statement read.

“Nature and cause investigations consider in detail complex material from a broad range of sources, including critical operational documents like the mine’s safety systems and risk management procedures; evidence of witnesses and key office holders associated with the mine; and expert evidence of technical specialists.

“On 21 September, 2021, the Queensland Mines Inspectorate within RSHQ released a safety alert to industry outlining key information about the incident and preliminary recommendations.”

The safety alert stated the mine operator should ensure the senior executive and underground mine manager reviewed their hazard plans and ensured it was effective to prevent the chance of a similar incident.

Other points in the safety alert included looking at the geological and geotechnical information of the mine strata, the design and integrity of the support system, if the strata monitoring system is adequate and develop and implement a suitable quality control process.

Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart was also unable to answer what had been done by RSHQ in the investigation, other than the issue of the safety alert, or if the investigation findings would be made public.

“My thoughts remain with the family of Graham Dawson,” Mr Stewart said.

“Any serious accident or loss of life on our mine sites is unacceptable.

“That’s why Resources Safety and Health Queensland are investigating the incident.

“RSHQ issued a safety alert with general recommendations for the industry after this incident to improve safety as quickly possible.”

Emergency services were called to the Sojitz Gregory Crinum Coal Mine on Lilyvale Road near Emerald about midnight., Workers were undertaking roof support works when the roof collapsed and a section of wall and ceiling fell. Paramedics assessed a 60-year-old man for critical injuries, however he died at the scene. His family has been notified of his death Picture Steve Vit

Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Pat Weir has slammed the time it has taken for the investigation to be completed and claims “it’s not good enough”.

“To leave that uncertainty hanging for the sake of the family that has been affected and those statutory officers who are under investigation have a cloud over their head,” he said.

“Everyone who was involved wants to know what happened.

“It shouldn’t take two or three years.”

Miners and members of the public who want to know where the investigation is up to and when a result can be expected have raised concerns with Mr Weir.

Mr Weir said he would like to see the information already determined in the investigation made public.

“I think there should be a clear cut timeline of when you should have down a finding so this uncertainty doesn’t linger,” he said.

“I know some are complex but not all are.”

The investigation needs to be completed so steps can be taken to stop another incident – but Mr Weir argues another incident could happen in the meantime.

“Somewhere something has failed to have this happen,” he said.

“If there is someone to blame, whoever is responsible needs to be called out and action taken or if it was a fault in the system.

“It just needs to be found out what happened and what needs to be addressed.

“But if we are waiting two to three years for a finding, you are leaving it open to happen again.”

Originally published as Investigation into death of Graham Dawson at Gregory Crinum Mine continues