Having undergone extensive surgery and rehabilitation since the accident, North shares his story with International Longwall News in a bid to raise awareness of the reality and consequences of longwall safety.

In 1999 North, then 23, was part of a crew completing a longwall move at the mine and was working at the tailgate end of the longwall with a colleague while the other workers focused on the maingate end.

As dawn approached, North was working on the tailgate drive when one of his colleagues, unaware that he was on the machine, started the armoured face conveyor as North was dismounting.

With one foot on the conveyor and the other on the ground North was dragged along for about seven metres with his legs entangled in the AFC.

Four hours later flying doctors tended to North and were forced to amputate both his legs below ground in a gruesome four-hour operation during which North remained conscious and was given minimal anaesthetics because he had lost so much blood.

"I could feel them cutting and afterwards I was brought to the surface and flown to Rockhampton Hospital," North told ILN.

However, the ordeal was not over for the trainee miner as weeks following the accident his body went into delayed trauma and suffered kidney and lung failure.

About six months of hospital treatment followed during which North had several operations to his legs, skin grafting operations and was fitted with prosthetic limbs.

Now getting around in a wheelchair, North successfully represented Australia in the volleyball and basketball competitions in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

Recently married and celebrating the birth of his son on Anzac Day, North has joined with friend and safety trainer Andrea Lamb to deliver a safety presentation to the mining community.

North told ILN that by sharing his story with miners he can bring home the importance of being alert and safe on the worksite.

"If I can stop something happening like this to one person then it's worth doing it. I haven't been back down a mine since I left but I loved my job and if the accident hadn't happened then I'd still be doing it," North said.

North and Lamb's safety seminar, Choices and Consequences, was presented for the first time to Walter Mining employees earlier this week.

While North has not kept abreast of changes to safety in the mining industry besides the findings of the inquiry into his own accident, he said in general the initiatives in the industry towards safety have been positive.

North said he has been embraced by miners attending his presentations and hopes to continue spreading the safety message.