By Rachel Morton
The Department Of Labour's newly appointed Chief Mines Inspector is making his mark, shutting a second mine in the space of a fortnight.
Solid Energy runs the Spring Creek coal mine, just north of Greymouth, which has been closed after the Department found three serious safety breaches.
Solid Energy chief operating officer Barry Bragg say mine inspectors “believe the explanation they received when they visited the mine on Monday was incomplete”.
“They also want us to outline the actions they will take and in two to three weeks they will undertake an audit at the mine.”
Last year Spring Creek voluntarily stopped operations for six months due to safety concerns.
The notice to stop mining came after three events:
- A diesel generator caught fire, releasing high concentrations of carbon monoxide into the mine.
- One of the main fans stopped working with no alert to management for 90 minutes
- A smaller underground fan stopped working twice, but didn't stop the mining machine – which it should have.
The Department of Labour appointed a temporary chief mines inspector as a result of the Pike River mine explosion, which killed 29 men.
Bernie Monk, whose son Michael was among the miners who died at Pike River, says the prompt appointment of an inspector is “one good thing” to come out of the Pike River Royal Commission.
Solid Energy has spent today gathering information to present to the Department Of Labour, which the Department will consider before making a decision about when the mine will be able to resume operating.
3 News