Safety audit of underground coal mines
Following the Pike River tragedy in November 2010, the Government directed the Department of Labour to ensure that a safety audit of all other coals mines in New Zealand was undertaken by an international expert to ensure the mines are operating within current legislative and regulatory environments.
Two Australian experts, Brett Garland and Tim Watson, were engaged by the Department. Mr Garland is the Chief Operating Officer at Caledon Coal, a Queensland mining company, and Mr Watson is a Senior Mines Inspector with the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation in Queensland.
Their reports for each of the four mines are available here online. The mines are Huntly East and Spring Creek both operated by Solid Energy, Roa Mine and Burke’s Creek.
The principal findings are:
- The audit did not reveal that a dangerous situation was imminent at any of the mines.
- The health and safety systems at the smaller mines (Roa and Burke’s Creek) do not reach a level where they are fully compliant with the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
- There are a number of areas for improvement at each of the four mines to strengthen their health and safety systems.
You can view the Minister of Labour’s media release on the findings here.
The Cabinet requested that the Department arrange the audit and the audit reports have been provided to the Minister of Labour. They have also been provided to the four mines and each has been requested to provide the Department with a plan and timetable for the implementation of the recommendations made by the auditors.
The Department of Labour has facilitated the development of the reports, but the reports are the work of, and belong to, the auditors, Brett Garland and Tim Watson.
SPRING CREEK MINE REPORT
Spring Creek mine is located near Greymouth and has a workforce of 200 people, employees and contractors and mines 700,000 tonnes of coal annually.
Spring Creek mine demonstrated that work had been undertaken over a period of time to improve management processes for identifying and controlling hazards.
The company, management team and workforce demonstrated a commitment to continue the improvement process that had been put in place before the audit commenced.
Across the nine audit areas of focus, the auditors found areas of strength as well as areas for development. Key areas for development were:
- Establish an internal audit function;
- Establish further indicators to better understand the effectiveness of the system; and
- Review management roles and responsibilities to ensure clarity.
HUNTLY EAST MINE REPORT
Huntly East mine is located near Huntly and has a workforce of 160 people, employees and contractors and mines 400,000 tonnes of coal annually.
Significant documented systems are in place at the mine, some of which are of a very high standard.
There is a management system that incorporates elements of safety at the early stages of project planning and a comprehensive monitoring programme. There is also a commitment to the training and development of all staff at the mine.
Across the nine audit areas of focus, the auditors found areas of strength as well as areas for development. Key areas for development were the same as those identified for the Spring Creek mine, with the addition of a review of the document control process.
ROA MINE REPORT
Roa mine is located on the West Coast and has a workforce of 35 people, employees and contractors across two underground coal mines. The company mines 130,000 tonnes of coal annually.
The mine manager is a very experienced and hands-on mining operator who has a high level of knowledge of the coal seams that are being mined.
Across the nine audit areas of focus, the auditors found areas of strength as well as areas for development. Key areas for development were:
- Ensure that all appropriate standards are followed and documentation maintained;
- Implement an internal audit function;
- Install and maintain a gas monitoring system; and
- Ensure record keeping and document control at the mine is improved to allow audits to be conducted.
BURKE’S CREEK MINE REPORT
Burkes Creek mine is located on the West Coast and is operated by two members of the Banks family who are both experienced and qualified miners. The mine aims to produce 5000 tonnes of coal annually.
It was recognised that a mine operating on such a small scale as Burkes Creek does not require documented systems to the extent that is required by a large commercial mining operation with numerous staff. There is scope, however, for Burkes Creek mine to develop systems that are appropriate to its size and the risks associated with its operations.
Across the nine audit areas of focus, the auditors found areas of strength as well as areas for development. Key areas for development were:
- Establish a system for the management of change so that variations to hazards and risks can be identified early;
- Ensure that all appropriate standards are followed and documentation maintained; and
- Implement an internal audit function.