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'Shocking' - 4 deaths in 18 months at UK Coal Mining Ltd
An HSE mining inspector has described as 'shocking' the loss of 4 lives in preventable industrial accidents over an 18-month period. The safety failings permitted the 4 separate incidents to occur at 2 collieries in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands.
UK Coal Mining Ltd of Harworth, Notts, pleaded guilty to all 7 breaches* of health and safety legislation involved: 4 breaches of S.2(1) and 3 breaches of S.3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in connection with the deaths.
UK Coal was ordered to pay a fine of £112,500 and £187,500 costs for each fatality, totalling £1.2m.
The HSE Mines Inspector commented: "Fewer than 4,000 people are employed in the UK mining sector, which makes four deaths within 18 months even more stark. These tragic incidents followed a four and a half year period where there were no deaths in the whole UK mining industry. It is even more shocking that these preventable deaths were the fault of one company - UK Coal. All it would have taken to prevent these deaths was better management and proper hazard control by UK Coal. HSE brought this case because of the serious breaches that were uncovered during the investigations. We will bring further proceedings if similar situations arise in the future. UK Coal need to demonstrate that they have learned - and will act upon - the lessons from these deaths."

*The fatal incidents are outlined as follows:
19th June 2006, a supervisor died at Daw Mill colliery, near Coventry. He was asphyxiated due to oxygen deprivation when he was exposed to high levels of methane in part of the mine.
6th August 2006, a mineworker died at Daw Mill after falling from a poorly maintained underground transporter into the path of a moving train. UK Coal accepted failing to prevent unsafe man-riding on the transporter and failing to replace the decaying system.
17th January 2007, a mineworker died at Daw Mill while assisting others to install rockbolts to keep a tunnel support wall in place. He was crushed when 100-plus tonnes of inadequately supported coal and stone collapsed on top of him. The section of tunnel had a history of collapses and UK Coal should have introduced a safer system of support.
3rd November 2007, a mineworker died at Welbeck colliery, Meden Vale, Nottinghamshire. He was attempting to install additional roof supports so that equipment could be salvaged from a coal face that had ceased production. He was crushed under approximately 90 tonnes of rock when a roof area collapsed. A suitable code of practice was agreed to provide a safe system of work, but the code was not adequately enforced by UK Coal.

This is a Safety Standard article first published on 15th December 2011©

  

 

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