In April 2004 Trevor Deakin was working at a Queensland mine and was driving from the mine, Kestrel, near Emerald to Mackay along the Beef Road north of Middlemount after completing a 12 hour night shift. Trevor was a contractor at the mine. It was Easter Friday, Trever died in a single vehicle accident.
On the 8th of July 2004 Robert O'Neile was killed in a single vehicle accident whilst driving a triple road train hauling coal between two mining leases at Newlands near Glenden. At the time of the accident Mr O'Neile was on a public road, Wollombi Road. The accident was not considered to be at a Coal Mine due to being on a public road, however it should have been contended that Mr O'Neile was affected as a result of coal mining operations. Regardless Mr O'Neile died as a coal mine worker in the middle of the night at work.
A year later Senior Constable Mackenzie and Mr Graham Brown died in a two vehicle accident on Yeppoon - Rockhampton Road, Mulara, on the evening of 24th October 2005. Mr Brown worked at Blackwater Mine and was travelling to his home at Yeppoon when the accident occurred. He had worked a roster of four day shifts and had completed a day's work before driving a little over two hours home.
In 2007 Mr Wilson worked at the Norwich Park Mine and had worked a night shift. He left the mine site in his car at the end of his shift. Some of his colleagues later described him as being very tired at the end time. During the 30 minute journey to his accommodation in Dysart, Mr Wilson's vehicle passed onto the incorrect side of the road and collided with an oncoming vehicle driven by Ms Katie Harold.
1. That Queensland Police Service conduct a review of the allocation of Traffic Accident Investigation Squad (now Forensic Crash Unit) officers to Regional Queensland.
2. That Queensland Transport and Queensland Police Service review:
(a) Police traffic accident documentation, training manuals and the First Response Handbook to promote the accurate recognition and recording of fatigue-related crashes; and
(b) current basic training and the Forensic Crash Unit specialist training syllabus in order to ensure comprehensive training for
traffic and general duties officers who attend crashes.
(c) in consultation with appropriate fatigue experts and or road safety experts, the current crash data collection forms (PT51) to
consider the development and inclusion of a list of extended categories and enquiries required for classification of crashes by
police as being fatigue related for use as an aide memoir in operational field conditions.
3. That an urgent review be undertaken by the Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport and the Queensland Police Service of the current police resources and police number allocations in the Central Region.
4. That Queensland Transport in conjunction with the Queensland Police Service undertake a review of current crash data collection procedures, classification of fatigue, the veracity of the surrogate measures, and methodologies for the analysis of crash data by the Queensland Police Service and Queensland Transport in association with appropriate external experts.
5. That Queensland Police Service conduct a trial within a limited geographic area to collect enhanced data on
fatigue-related road crashes as discussed in these findings.
6. That a Memorandum of Understanding be negotiated between Queensland Police Service and the Mines Inspectorate to notify the Mines Inspectorate of the road crashes where persons are travelling to and from a mine to enable the Mines Inspectorate to investigate at the mine in relation to the effectiveness and compliance with the health and safety management system and for the sharing of information for the purpose of an investigation by either entity.
7. That Queensland Transport in conjunction with the Queensland Police Service should review and adopt an operational definition of fatigue.
8. That the Queensland Police Service consider retrieval of in-vehicle information recording systems as part of standard investigative procedures for fatal car accidents.
9. That ongoing consideration be given by Queensland Police Service to:
(a) creating specific powers for police to stop drivers suspected of being fatigued; and
(b) the development of a fatigue-specific driving offence, and, in the meantime;
(c) the utilisation of additional investigative techniques to establish fatigue until such time as appropriate fatigue detection
methodology is available.
10. That the Queensland Government through Queensland Transport and Queensland Health Commission or other appropriate bodies support/develop further research into a method or mechanism for the detection of fatigue impairment in drivers.
11. That additional effort be committed to improving the quality of data maintained by Queensland Transport.
12. That the Minister for Transport and Main Roads seek the support of all Australian Transport Councils (ATC), Members for the development of a standardised fatigue definition and reporting for road safety purposes.
13. That a Fatigue Management Forum be convened to develop best practice fatigue management guidelines for road transport authorities, road users and public and private sector employers across Queensland.
14.