Mine deaths safety ‘hole’

Lack of harnesses raises procedure questions, coroner hears

THE fact that two workers who fell to their deaths in Queenstown’s Mt Lyell mine in 2013 were not wearing harnesses as they operated from a suspended wooden platform was an “obvious hole” in safety procedure, a supervisor has told an inquest.

Paul McDermott, who was a Copper Mines of Tasmania fixed plant underground superintendent when the emergency unfolded, told the inquest into the deaths of Alistair Lucas, Craig Gleeson and Michael Welsh, that harness anchor points had been fixed in 2006.

“The intention was that workers wear a harness and the fact that they were not on this day is an obvious hole in the procedure,” Mr McDermott told coroner Simon Cooper in Queenstown yesterday.

Mr Lucas, 25, and Mr Gleeson, 45, were working on a maintenance platform in a shaft when it gave way and they fell 22m to their deaths.

Another miner, Mr Welsh, died six weeks later in a mudslide.

Copper Mines of Tasmania was convicted in the Burnie Magistrate’s Court in 2016 and fined $225,000 over the deaths of Mr Lucas and Mr Gleeson. The conviction was for failing to provide a safe workplace.

The company pleaded not guilty to the same charge in relation to Mr Welsh’s death and the case was dropped after evidence from a Workplace Standards investigator and mining consultant John Webber was disallowed.

The mine has not operated since the three men were killed but the company is working to restart production.

Earlier in proceedings, the mother of Mr Lucas said she hoped procedures would be put in place before the copper mine reopened to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

Mr Lucas’s mother, Sonyia Castle, told Mr Cooper she wanted answers and closure.

“As a mother it has had a huge impact on the family who lost a son, a brother and a fa- ther,” Ms Castle told the inquest.

“It all comes back to one question: why did it happen?

“Why was the local community hospital contacted rather than 000. They could have got a chopper from Hobart and perhaps Alistair might have lived.”

Mr Lucas died in the ambulance after he was picked up from the underground mine.

Ms Castle also wants to know why a skip bin, usually in place, was removed the day her son died.

“He didn't slide down a chute he had a vertical drop. As an injury management co-ordinator for an underground mining company I have many procedural questions.

“I want an understanding of what measures have been put in place so this does not happen to another family.”

Mr Lucas’s father, a mill supervisor, was working at Mt Lyell the day his son was killed.

He learned of an accident but was not told at the time it was his son that was involved.

He did not get a chance to talk to him in the ambulance, Ms Castle said.

Mr Lucas died en route to the West Coast Hospital.

“I was notified of my son’s death at Brisbane airport via social media,” she said.