A multinational resources producer was widely criticised for failing to provide a safe work environment.
A Peabody Energy entity was recently penalised after management did not stop work after methane inundated Francisco Coal Mine back in 2018.
Methane gas volumes exceeded 5 percent and entered the explosive range when a rotating drill, energised electrical equipment or another ignition source is present. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires disconnecting equipment and evacuating the mine once the concentration volume exceeds 1.5 percent. Work can only resume after the volume drops below 1 percent.
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission unanimously ruled one Peabody Midwest mine manager violated mandatory safety standards when the energised drill kept operating despite the heightened risk of “catastrophic explosion”. The mine manager was held personally liable for the breach.
MSHA declared Peabody’s failure to deenergise the drill and its unsafe work practices were “unwarrantable failures” to comply with mandatory standards. This means the violations attract more severe penalties due to “aggravated conduct”.
“Operators have the ultimate responsibility to prevent mining hazards and dangerous working conditions,” Mine Safety and Health Assistant Secretary Chris Williamson said in a public statement.
“[The] Department of Labor will continue to enforce the law and hold mine operators accountable when they put lives at risk and fail to protect miners’ safety and health.”
The commission fined Peabody Midwest Mining US$96,000 (A$143,480) and the mine manager US$6000 (A$8967.55).
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