On the day shift of Monday, 23 November 1998, Scott Robert Johnston and four other miners performed normal drill and blast cycles of the M62 shaft approximately 532 metres below 20 level. After crib, the crew went to the bottom deck of the stage and commenced to bar down.
At about 14:15 Scott Robert Johnston fell from the stage 6 metres onto the rill of the broken muck sitting on the bench and then fell a further 29 metres onto a muck pile at the bottom of the pilot raise at the 30B sub level. The injuries sustained were fatal.
Recommendations
Similar tasks or any other task where there is an unacceptable risk of serious bodily injury or death must be addressed by a hazard management plan, developed and implemented in accordance with AS/NZS 4360:1995; Risk Management.
The chief inspector of mines encourage the establishment of an industry work group to develop generic guidelines for safe shaft sinking operations.
The chief inspector of mines in association with the mining warden develop generic guidelines for the investigation of serious mine accidents.