KEY Issue 5 (11) OPERATIONAL PRACTISES and MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WERE DEFICIENT REGARDS CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS, TIMING and LOCATION of VCD and REGULATORS in LW104
THE SUBMISSION In FULL is in the LINK ABOVE
GROSVENOR INQUIRY SUBMISSION. KEY ISSUE 5 Part 11.
Whether the operational practices and management systems in existence at Grosvenor Mine, or at higher corporate levels, were apt to adequately respond to the mines understanding of the difficulties it was having with longwall 104
FINDINGS
1) OPERATIONAL PRACTISES and MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WERE DEFICIENT REGARDS CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS, TIMING and LOCATION of VCD and REGULATORS in LW104
2) VCD’S and SEALS NOT CONSTRUCTED WHEN MANDATED by GROSVENOR STANDARDS and in COMPLIANCE WITH CMSHR in 2016.
3) FINDINGS and RECOMMENDATIONS regarding ACCESS TO SEAL SITES and IRRESPIRABLE ATMOSPHERES from PAUL MAGUIRE FATALITY at ANGLO GRASSTREE MINE in 2014 HAVE NOT BEEN INTRODUCED AND ENFORCED at GROSVENOR MINE in September and December 2016.
4) 14kPa VCD’s WERE NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE in TG LW104 CUT THROUGHS.
5) 14kPa VCD’s used INBYE MG104 145kPa Seals for CREATING INERTISATION CHAMBERS were NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE and FAILED UNDER ABUTMENT PRESSURE
6)The DNRME (RSHQ) MINES INSPECTORS RAISEED NO CONCERNS ABOUT STANDARD of VCD’S in TG 104 (MG 103) or the use of 14kPa VCD’S INBYE MG104 20PSI (145kPa) SEALS to CONSTRUCT INERTISATION CHAMBERS
EVIDENCE
1) CONSTRUCTION of VCD’s for SEGREGATION were in September 2016 were not COMPLIANT to STANDARDS of CONSTRUCTION and the Number of CONSECUTIVE TEMPORARY VCD’s were FOUR, twice that allowed Under the CMSHR.DNRME INSPECTORS MRE 16th September
2) FINDINGS and RECOMMENDATIONS regarding ACCESS TO SEAL SITES and IRRESPIRABLE ATMOSPHERES from PAUL MAGUIRE FATALITY at ANGLO GRASSTREE MINE in 2014 HAVE NOT BEEN INTRODUCED AND ENFORCED at GROSVENOR MINE in September and December 2016.
DNRME INSPECTORS MRE 16th September and 15th December 2016
3) DELAYS in SEAL CONSTRUCTION during LONGWALL RETREAT in LW 101 in September and December 2016.
DNRME INSPECTORS MRE 16th September and 15th December 2016
4) THE FOUR WAY GAS MONITORING TREE RE-LOCATED PRIOR to ERECTION OF SEAL in LAST OPEN CUT THROUGH
DNRME INSPECTORS MRE 15th December 2016
5) REGULATOR NOT CONSTRUCTED IN LW 104 TAILGATE as REQUIRED under SECOND WORKINGS PROCEDURES. A 14kPa VCD with an OPEN MAN DOOR was USED INSTEAD of a PROPERLY DESIGNED and ADJUSTABLE REGULATOR
EVIDENCE ANDREW SELF TRA.500.021.0094
Q So when you say there was a regulator when you were there –
A It was an open door, yes.
Q If what you can’t read in that diagram in fact reads “14 kPa”, what would that tell you it was?
A That would be a 2psi stopping.
Q So would that be a regulator?
A It would be a stopping with a door in it. A regulator is normally controllable, so there are louvred types which can adjust the orifice from zero to fully open. That wasn’t a regulator of that type; it was just purely a door that was open.
Q And that’s what you saw?
A Yes.
6) The 14kPa VCD’s CONSTRUCTED using SNAP JACKS, MESH and BRATTICE.
SNAP JACKS BEND AND FAIL WHEN EXPOSED TO ABUTMENT PRESSURE
7) The 14kPa VCD’s TG 104 (MG 103) Seals were NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE and FAILED UNDER ABUTMENT PRESSURE
ANGLO GROSVENOR in LFI IN.00226742 & IN.00228255 8th June Withdrawal from Mine and Ignition of Gas LW104
The 14kPa stoppings are suspected to have been compromised due to the abutment loading from LW104 (with further potential damage from the 6th May 2020 ignition event). This was identified during the investigation into the gas exceedance events that occurred on the 6th and 7th April 2020.
8) ONCE LW104 FACE PROGRESSED PASSED A TG CUT THROUGH, the CUT THROUGH WAS CLASSIFIED as GOAF and so WAS NOT ACCESSIBLE by ERZC’s or COAL MINE WORKERS to CONSTRUCT FIT FOR PURPOSE VCD’S or SEALS
9) MANAGEMENT DECISION to CONSTRUCT “ADEQUATE STOPPING FRAMES” and “SUBSTANTIAL STOPPINGS” on 9th APRIL in MG103 36-37c/t
TERMS “ADEQUATE STOPPING FRAMES” and SUBSTANTIAL STOPPING DO NOT SPECIFY AND MINIMUM STANDARD
10) 14kPa VCD’s used INBYE MG104 145kPa SEALS INERTISATION CHAMBERS were NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE and FAILED UNDER ABUTMENT PRESSURE
11) The DNRME (RSHQ) MINES INSPECTORS RAISEED NO CONCERNS ABOUT STANDARD of VCD’S in TG 104 (MG 103) or the use of 14kPa VCD’S INBYE MG104 20PSI (145kPa) SEALS to CONSTRUCT INERTISATION CHAMBERS
