Contractor Walter Mining, which Blee had been working for at the time, argued the evidence was beyond the expertise of the representative and should not be heard in the ongoing coronial inquest.
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union said in a release today the application had been dismissed and costs awarded against the company.
“Challenging the admissibility of evidence given by a 20-year underground coal industry veteran with a statutory role under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act seems completely at odds with a search for the truth in this tragic death,” CFMEU senior vice-president Stuart Vaccaneo said.
