A Parliamentary Inquiry in Queensland will investigate the coal mining industry’s response to health and safety recommendations made following the Grosvenor mine explosion in 2020.
Established in response to the tragedy, which seriously injured five workers, the Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry issued 65 recommendations for improving health and safety standards in the coal mining industry.
Whether or not the recommendations have been received or implemented by Queensland’s resources sector will be revealed in a Parliamentary Inquiry led by the State Transport and Resources Committee.
Queensland Resources Minister, Scott Steward, said the inquiry would hold miners accountable for the health and safety of their workers.
“It is critical that Queenslanders can be confident the resources industry is doing everything it possibly can to ensure the safety and health of the workers they employ which is why an inquiry is important,” Mr Stewart said.
“The Transport and Resources Committee will be asked to conduct an inquiry into what the coal mining industry has done, and plans to do, in response to the Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry’s recommendations, to make lasting changes to improve safety culture in the mining industry.
“The most important thing to come off a mine site is its workers, and the Palaszczuk Government will always put the health and safety of Queenslanders first.”
Mr Stewart said resources workers’ families, friends and their communities must be assured their loved ones will come home safe and healthy from every shift.
“I continue to work with the industry through the Queensland Resources Council, to make sure they are addressing the recommendations made by the Board of Inquiry,” he said.
“I’m updated every fortnight by the independent health and safety regulator Resources Safety and Health Queensland about the work it’s doing in response to the Board of Inquiry.
“This Parliamentary Inquiry will allow more information to be gained about what the coal mining industry is doing to reduce harm to workers and hear from other stakeholders.”
Queensland mining sector welcomes inquiry
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the opportunity to show all Queenslanders what the resources industry is doing to continuously improve safety in the mining industry, following the announcement of the inquiry.
QRC chief executive, Ian Macfarlane, said the safety of every mine worker is a priority and a core value of every mining operation in Queensland. This has resulted in the state’s mine safety record being the envy of every other mining region in the world.
“When it comes to worker safety, our industry operates on the basis we’re on an ongoing, continuous cycle of improvement and that any injury or fatality is unacceptable,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“We look forward to sharing with the Queensland community just how seriously our companies take their responsibility to provide a safe operating environment, and where improvements can be made in any area, we will listen and follow the recommendations of the experts.”
