RSHQ Safety Alert for Conveyor Belt worker serious injury. Latest RSHQ Disgrace as a Low Reliability Regulator. Two years after the event and investigations still on-going. Meanwhile contract belt worker dies at the same Anglo Moranbah North Mine
RSHQ published this safety alert on the 25th May 2023, about an incident at Anglo’s Moranbah North Coal Mine in September 2021, where a contract coal mine worker sustained serious injuries requiring RACQ CQ Rescue Helicopter transport.
https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-notices/mines/coal-mine-worker-seriously-injured-undertaking-conveyor-belt-repairs-investigation-summary?SQ_VARIATION_1715461=0
To me this Safety Alert is just the latest example that RSHQ is a broken, corrupted, incompetent, if not willfully negligent, so called Safety Regulator
One of biggest disgraces about the so called safety alert is that RSHQ has taken nearly two years to put out this. At the end they include this gem. “Investigations are ongoing and further information may be published as it becomes available.”
Nearly two years and you release this saying investigations are on-going.
What on earth has RSHQ been doing?
Did RSHQ actually use any of its multiple Directives powers to make MNC change after the 2021 Serious Injury HPI?
The safety alert makes no mention of any actions it took including issuing any Directives issued by RSHQ.
Meanwhile Gavin Feltwell has lost his life doing conveyor work at the the same Anglo Moranbah North Mine in March 2022.
https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-notices/mines/fatal-accident-underground-working-with-suspended-load
By all accounts Mr. Feltwell fatality included many similarly issues, including the belt recovery tasks changing and overall supervision including whether senior mine leadership ever periodically personally inspect challenging belt recovery tasks.
The Explosion Risk Zone (ERZ) Controller was not present at the time of the incident and was undertaking other inspections in his assigned areas that had multiple districts covering multiple work groups,
I have no doubt that if RSHQ had have enforced changes to fix the problems that RSHQ had identified, Mr Feltwell would still be alive today.
How is RSHQ possibly able to conduct a proper impartial investigation into Mr. Feltwell’s death, when its own actions/inactions from the September 2021 event inevitably form part of the circumstances?
The answer is it logically cannot.
Just as with the Grosvenor Explosion, where RSHQ never, ever issued a cease work Directive at Grosvenor in the preceding years, no matter how many methane HPI’s happened year after year.
Inevitably issues of individual self-interest within RSHQ will manifest.
As usual RSHQ will resist all attempts (including Gavin’s immediate family) to share any details of its investigation reports, interim or final.
The usual excuses by not saying anything publicly will just keep rolling out about ongoing investigations for a while.
Then that will change to “RSHQ cannot say anything because of the possibility of Legal Proceedings”, till the 3 year time frame to commence legal action expires.
Then if by some chance RSHQ actually decides to initiate a prosecution at the end of 3 years, they use the same cannot comment because of legal action to deny any information till the Legal actions are completed.
Then finally, RSHQ just close shop about releasing their Investigation Report under any circumstances, including running interference on RTI’s.
All in the hope that as time passes people just lose interest.
Not for the family and friends of those maimed and killed it doesn’t.
How wonderful it must be to look out at the Brisbane CBD skyline and River out of the air conditioned comfort of the RSHQ and Ministers Office.
No chance of getting crushed, buried under an unstable low or highwall, rolling off a dump or getting burnt in a methane explosion like the working class has to very working day
