Audit finds safety concerns at two coal mines

An audit of New Zealand coal mines ordered after the Pike River tragedy has found two mines are not fully compliant with health and safety regulations, but found no evidence of imminent danger.

The audit report, issued today, shows improvements could be made at all four coal mines investigated.

Cabinet ordered the audits after 29 men were killed in explosions at the Pike River mine on the West Coast in November last year.

Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson said the audits, undertaken by two Australian mining experts, found mine owners should enhance systems for identifying and mitigating hazards in each of the mines.

The audits found two smaller mines, Roa and Burkes Creek, were not fully compliant with the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

At the Roa mine, where miner Bernard Green was killed in a rock fall in 2006, the auditors found a high-level risk assessment was needed to identify all potentially fatal hazards.

The audit report recommended the mine operators ensure health and safety standards were followed and documentation was maintained to allow regular audits.

It also recommended installing a gas monitoring system and undertaking further geotechnical surveys to ensure mining practices were appropriate.

At Burkes Creek the auditors recommended the operators update and improve their mine plans, install an underground communications system, implement daily monitoring of the surface fan, and obtain a test certificate for explosives storage.

Two other mines, operated by Solid Energy -- Spring Creek and Huntly East -- were found to be compliant with health and safety standards, but the auditors nevertheless recommended improvements.

At Spring Creek the auditors identified a number of potential hazards, including the propensity for spontaneous combustion of the seam being worked and the presence of methane as a seam gas.

The audit report recommended the establishment of a management-wide internal audit system and a review of the responsibilities of the management team.

It noted that Spring Creek had commissioned a review of the risk of underground explosion following the Pike River tragedy.

The auditors found Huntly East had significant documented systems in place, some of which were of a very high standard, but nevertheless recommended a review of the document control process.

Ms Wilkinson said while the lack of imminent danger at the mines was reassuring, the Government welcomed the recommended improvements.

"The auditors' recommendations do not indicate that the mines are being operated in an unsafe manner," she said.

"However, underground coal mining is inherently dangerous and the hazards cannot be entirely eliminated, so systems and processes to minimise harm must be in place."

The Department of Labour has already begun working with the mines to ensure they acted on the recommendations.

The auditors' report will be provided to the Royal Commission of Inquiry that is looking into the Pike River mine disaster.