Sojitz Blue – a subsidiary of Japanese producer Sojitz – has suspended production at its Gregory-Crinum coking coal complex because of a serious accident that hospitalised a worker.
A coal miner sustained injuries at Sojitz’s Crinum mine at around 10 am on 12 September, Sojitz Blue Chief Operating Officer Jacob Sorenson told staff in a notice seen by Lithos.
“Operations at both [the] Crinum and Gregory [mines] have ceased until further notice,” Sorenson said. “At this stage, our focus remains on the injured worker, their family, and all employees at Crinum,” Sorenson added.
Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) was notified of the accident on 12 September, an RSHQ spokesperson told Lithos on 13 September. It has deployed an inspector to the mine to conduct enquiries, the spokesperson added.
Sojitz did not respond to a request for comment on 13 September.
Gregory-Crinum is a mixed open-cut and underground coking coal mine. Sojitz annually ships around seven million tonnes of Gregory-Crinum coal from Gladstone Port to Asian and European customers.
The Gregory-Crinum accident is Queensland’s third coal mine accident since the start of July. On 24 July, a miner died in a vehicle collision at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Peak Downs mine. Weeks later – on 11 August – another worker fell unconscious at a central Queensland site because they were hit in the head by a rotating dragline.
RSHQ has launched investigations into the death and dragline injury, it said in July and August, respectively.
A worker at the Glencore-run United Wambo mine, in New South Wales, also died after being hit by a specialised mining vehicle on 3 August, according to the Mining and Energy Union (MEU).
“Our sincere condolences go out to the worker’s family, friends and colleagues. This is tragic news for our entire workforce,” Glencore Coal Australia Chief Executive Officer Peter Sharpe said at the time. “Our immediate focus is on providing support to the worker’s family and our employees,” Sharpe added.
By Avinash Govind