-
The Huntly East Coal Mine - Source: ONE News -
Related
A ban will remain in place on mining activity at Huntly East Mine after Solid Energy met with mine inspectors today.
The mine was shut down yesterday after inspectors identified an accumulation of methane in a recently-mined area of the underground mine.
Following today's meeting, development work will be able to resume, but a ban remains in place on coal extraction.
'We are still discussing with Solid Energy what requirements we expect them to fulfil before mining operations can resume," Brett Murray, General Manager of the High Hazards Unit at the Labour Department said.
State-owned Solid Energy said in a statement that there was never any safety risk at the mine, but the incident has renewed calls for improved safety protection in the mining industry.
Ged O'Connell from the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union said he is pleased inspectors are picking up on these incidents and that safety at the mine is improving with the introduction of an acting chief inspector from Queensland. But he says there is still a fair way to go.
"He's made quite a difference and that's now resulting in obviously greater surveillance and picking up incidents quite minor, such as this one, but certainly picking up on incidents that give miners some insurance that things are on the improve," he said.
O'Connell said today's meeting would just be about the incident itself, but action needs to be taken.
"Our advice to them would be to move immediately, obviously not legally but by agreement, to institute a union-elected or employee-elected inspector who would do these routine checks so it adds another layer to the surveillance that would give further assurance.
"Because what would have happened in this situation if the mines inspector had not turned up on this particular day?"
O'Connell said the Government cannot act until it gets the report into the Pike River mine disaster and are "in the meantime doing their best".
"But, we'd like to get to the point where there industry's consensus around what needs to be done is put into action as soon as we can."
Twenty-nine men were killed in a series of explosion at Pike River mine in November 2010. Since then it has been sealed off with the bodies still inside.
O'Connell said Solid Energy's mine "is not a Pike River".
"They have got many, many years of experience, they have good practices, but we just need to move to another step another layer and lift these things further."
Solid Energy Chief Operating Officer Barry Bragg said: "The company remains confident that its mines are operating safely."
Bragg said although coal extraction and development had been suspended, mine personnel are permitted to carry out maintenance and other work underground.
Explosive levels of methane gas were detected at the Huntly East Coal Mine on November 11, while 40 miners were underground.