Shuttle car runs over miner

Clare Chapman | 2nd December 2009

A 51-YEAR-OLD miner is in hospital and lucky to be alive after he was pinned under a 32-tonne shuttle car at an Anglo Coal mine in the Bowen Basin.
The man was working underground at Anglo Coal’s Bundoora Mine, near Middlemount, on November 8 when he was run over by the shuttle car and became stuck under its wheel, bearing a weight equivalent to about 26 cars on his lower body.
Anglo Coal owned the mine where miner Jason Blee was killed in a similar incident involving a shuttle car in 2007.
In the latest incident the mine-worker sustained serious injuries including a severely broken left leg, muscular and nerve damage to a leg and a broken pelvis. He is still undergoing surgery and skin grafts.
Mr Blee was fatally injured in a disturbingly similar incident at Anglo Coal’s Moranbah North mine when he was hit by a shuttle car while working underground.
This week the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said this month’s incident should never have happened and signalled Jason Blee died in vain as mines had not taken notice of the coroner’s recommendations following his death.
CFMEU industry safety and health representative Tim Whyte said he was disgusted history had repeated itself.
“Anglo Coal’s actions allowed this type of accident to occur again,” Mr Whyte said. “The concerning part from our side is that it was only two-and-a-half years ago that Jason Blee was fatally injured at an Angle Coal mine.
“I was just disgusted when I got that call. I couldn’t believe that he had been run over by a shuttle  car. It would seem that Jason Blee’s death was in vain,” he said.
Mr Whyte said Anglo Coal had not taken heed of the coroner’s recommendations, which were released in September.
The 18 recommendations handed down in Mackay by Coroner Annette Hennessy detailed how incidents such as these could be avoided.
One stated that underground coal mines should review interaction between pedestrians and machinery and ‘No Go and Restricted Zones’ be established for pedestrians.
“Ultimately operators of mobile equipment must ensure that it is safe to move equipment before they do,” it read.
Another point recommended coal mining operators moved quickly in conjunction with manufacturers to develop approved proximity detection devices to sense the presence of pedestrians around equipment such as shuttle cars.
The coroner’s report also stated that every underground mine must be equipped with airbags to lift or push heavy equipment off trapped people and that alcohol and drug testing be done on all people involved in an incident, the results of which should be provided to police.
Mr Whyte said the CFMEU was in the process of conducting its own detailed investigation into the latest incident and had spoken to the driver of the shuttle car but had so far been unable to speak to the victim due to the seriousness of his injuries.
Despite repeated attempts to contact Anglo Coal, the company did not return the calls.