Ban lifted after mine safety failures

A ban on underground work at Solid Energy’s Spring Creek coalmine has been lifted, but the company says operations will not resume this week.

The Department of Labour issued the ban on Monday after three safety failures at the West Coast mine in the past three weeks.

The department’s acting chief mines inspector, Gavin Taylor, said yesterday Solid Energy had given the department a full explanation for the three incidents, along with a plan that will address the safety failures.

The department lifted the ban yesterday, allowing underground work to resume.

The incidents included a diesel generator catching fire and injecting high concentrations of carbon monoxide into the mine; the main fans tripping with no alert to management for 90 minutes; and an underground auxiliary fan tripping on two consecu- tive days, but failing to stop the mining machine as it should have.

‘‘We are confident that the company has appropriately addressed the immediate concerns and is moving to address the potential risks that we had identified,’’ Taylor said.

A team from the department’s high hazards unit will check Spring Creek’s safety systems, he said.

Solid Energy chief operating officer Barry Bragg said the company welcomed the department’s decision, but the mine would not immediately resume full underground operations.

‘‘A return to full underground operations will not happen this week,’’ he said.

‘‘Our own internal investigations are still being completed and there will be recommendations from those which will take time to complete, especially if they involve widespread training.’’

Spring Creek, just north of Greymouth, employs about 230 mine workers.