Overall, the coal sector reported 2615 incidents during the year – the highest of any other mining sector in the state, according to the Mine Safety Performance Report.

This was nine times the average reported for the past five years (2001-02 to 2005-06) under the former legislation. The increase partly reflects the new and more inclusive reporting requirements of the current legislation.

More than three-quarters of all coal incidents occurred in underground operations.

There were 2024 underground coal incidents compared to 591 surface mining coal operations in the 2012 financial year.

The three biggest contributors to the coal incidents reporting related to mobile mechanical equipment (930), gas (652) and work environment (515).

The coal sector reported four fatalities in each of the previous two five-year periods.

The coal surface sector was death-free for the eighth consecutive year and for the 12th time in 13 years.

The coal lost-time injury frequency rate of 5.25 was 24.79% below the five-year average of 6.98.

The Mine Safety Performance Report found that coal sector hours worked rose by 15.5% and had doubled since 2005-06.

Underground coal hours worked rose by 11.9% and coal surface hours worked rose by 18.1%.

The number of coal underground total recordable injuries (TRIs) fell by 6.47%, from 819 to 766. Coal surface TRIs rose 5.73%, from 227 to 240, and total coal TRIs fell 3.82%, from 1046 to 1006

The Coal sector serious body injury frequency rate of 0.7 was 5.41% below the five-year average of 0.74. Coal sector serious body injuries rose 25.57%, from 28 to 36.