A 27-year-old man has died at a central Queensland mine following a vehicle-related incident on Monday afternoon.
Key points:
- Resources Safety and Health and union officials are investigating the incident
- The Mining and Energy Union says members are "devastated" by Luke O'Brien's death
- A worker died at the mine in 2018 when the machine he was operating rolled
Luke O'Brien had been working at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance's (BMA) Saraji mine in Dysart, about 200 kilometres south west from his hometown of Mackay, when the incident happened.
Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) confirmed two men were working in a fuel bay area of the open cut mine at about 12pm yesterday when an "interaction with two vehicles" left the worker with "crush injuries".
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed paramedics were called to the job at the Saraji mine at about 1:30 pm.
The spokesperson said Mr O'Brien was pinned between mining vehicles at the location and suffered multiple critical injuries.
He was transported by road to Dysart Hospital but later died.
A 'devastating' incident
BMA asset president Adam Lancey said in a statement that a worker had been "fatally injured" at the site and extended his "deepest sympathy to the person's friends, family and colleagues".
Mr Lancey also confirmed that Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) had been notified and that BMA would work closely with the Mines Inspectorate and relevant authorities.
The last fatal incident at Saraji happened in 2018, when dozer operator Allan Houston, 49, died after his machine rolled at the mine on New Year's Eve.
Mining and Energy Union president Mitch Hughes said it did not matter how often these tragedies occurred, the outcome was "always devastating".
"At the end of the shift, there's a coal miner who hasn't made it home," he said.
"Things like this always ripple through little communities and the industry as a whole."
Mr Hughes said the union had sent condolences to the man's family, friends and colleagues.
Investigation launched
He confirmed that union safety inspectors were at the site to conduct a "thorough investigation".
Mr Hughes said "no stone" would be left unturned "in understanding what has occurred and preventing future fatalities and injuries".
RSHQ chief executive Rob Djukic said in a statement that an investigation into the death was launched as soon as the agency was notified of the incident.
He also said RSHQ was "working closely with BMA to find out what went wrong and prevent this from happening again".
Operations at the Saraji mine are suspended.