Published in September 2009 Australian Longwall Magazine

“My past experiences give me the capacity to understand how dangerous these things [longwall safety issues] are and how we need to avoid them. I’m not someone sitting here who has read about a mine fire in a book – I’ve been there,” he said.

“I was there when Moura No. 2 blew up a second time, and we went underground at Moura No. 4 after the explosion and did a lot of work investigating the cause of that explosion.

“I think I have an understanding for what damage these things can cause and have the sort of determination that we won’t have any more.”

In his new role that determination will have to stretch several ways. He has been charged with providing the mines minister and Parliament with an annual report on mine safety in the state. He also has the mines minister’s ear to inform him of any mine safety and health issues he needs to keep abreast of.

Bell will be responsible for initiating prosecutions under Queensland’s mining laws, which were recently updated with the Mines and Energy Legislation Amendment Act of 2009.

He will also overview the activities of the Queensland Mines Inspectorate as an independent statutory position to reinforce its operational independence.

Bell’s newly created role is a direct product of the findings of the Queensland Ombudsman in the Regulation of Mine Safety in Queensland report, presented in mid-2008.

Ombudsman David Bevan found there was inadequate reporting within the QMI and recommended the new position be established.

“I found that the QMI is not recording much of its informal compliance activity at mines, which means it has an incomplete picture of the performance of individual mines on safety and could lead to some safety concerns not being followed up,” Bevan said at the time.

Although Bevan found the QMI was not inappropriately influenced by the mining industry, he said there was a “reasonable perception” it was.

“This is mainly because of its location and reporting structure within the Department of Mines and Energy, which is the department responsible for promoting and encouraging mining in Queensland,” Bevan said.

“I have recommended the inspectorate be operationally independent of the rest of the department and that the head of the inspectorate be authorised to report directly to the minister on mine safety issues.”

While Bell disagreed with the suggestion that the inspectorate was influenced by parties such as unions, coal companies or the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation’s commercial considerations, he told Australian Longwall Magazine, “you have to address a perception as well as reality”.

Bell said under his watch the inspectorate would continue to carry out mine inspections consistent with past practices.

“When we inspect mines in Queensland we do it on a risk basis. If we have a mine we are not particularly happy with, we will inspect that mine more often than one where we don’t see a problem. That is the way we do it. We don’t get influenced,” he said.

Bell will also steer clear of the commercial development side of the Mines and Energy Department to ensure a decision to launch prosecution is independent.

“I have no knowledge of the commercial decision making of the department so I am making decisions, as the director general did in the past I’m sure, based on the facts from the committee that reviews whether the prosecution is required or not.

“We don’t prosecute every time either. We’re not in a prosecution mentality but where there is a blatant disregard, we prosecute,” he said.

Bell also has his own fish to fry, ones he has been applying the heat to for several years now.

One of his pet projects is proximity detection and collision avoidance.

“If you look at our fatalities over the past two to three years and even before that, a lot of them involve vehicles. I am very keen on proximity detection and collision avoidance systems going into vehicles,” Bell said.

To that end the department recently held workshops on the subject around the state.

“We brought all the manufacturers of proximity detection systems together to provide presentations on their products. We are not recommending anyone in particular, we are just putting it out there for mines to look at and encouraging the industry to take these things on board.

“Many mines have already adopted some kind of proximity detection. We are very conscious we need to get a handle on what is available, get that information out to industry, and then we will give mines a reasonable amount of time to bring this technology on board.

“We don’t want to mandate it and then the technology not be available.”

Bell also highlighted that the technology was only part of the solution and that mines also needed to address human behaviour and fatigue.

Electrical safety and fires and explosions are also major blips on Bell’s radar.

“My ongoing nightmare is an underground fire or explosion in a coal mine. That’s our biggest risk and that’s where most of our inspectoral effort in underground coal mines goes because they are the hardest things to control.”

While much industry talk focuses on safety, Bell said it was time that health was also able to share some of the limelight.

“Health could be a sleeping problem for us if we don’t keep a handle on it,” he said, stressing the dangers of dust and noise exposure and musculoskeletal injuries.

“We want to have people finish their careers in the mining industry and enjoy their retirement.”

To that end, Bell and others in recent years have expanded the mining health surveillance unit, started the Health Intervention Awareness Committee, and expanded the health skills base of the inspectorate.

The inspectorate now has two occupational hygienists on staff and one ergonomist who monitor their respective issues and can recommend solutions to mines.

For the first time in a long time, the inspectorate now also boasts a full team. This year it recruited four inspectors from the United Kingdom and two from India.

While Bell will bring his experience from mines, Simtars and government departments to the fore in his new role, his overall attitude is simple: “Our philosophy is getting people home the way they came to work. That’s my personal driving force.”