In other incident a worker was struck with high pressure oil from a leak in a longwall chock. He was taken to hospital suffering a suspected fluid injection injury.

Ventilation incidents also occurred during the month. During a planned ventilation change for a longwall, a ventilation control device was inadvertently opened wider than intended causing in excess of 2% methane to pass through the bleeder fan.

On the electrical front, during an external inspection of a Driftrunner, an electrician noted that one light was not operating due to severing of the cable inside the fire resistant and anti-static hose.

Also in the electrics, a high impedance fault within a cable plug for a 3.3kV tailgate drive cable on a longwall developed into a short circuit fault. This caused the cable and molten metal to be ejected from the plug and a small fire. Workers put the flames out with a hand held extinguisher.

In another incident an operator fell and possibly fractured his left forearm while cleaning the front lights of a Cat R2900 loader.

Coal mine workers were withdrawn from a development panel when it was realised that the rockbolts that had been installed in the panel were of an inferior steel quality in another embarrassing incident .

In another bizarre incident a worker was closing a gate at a mine while there was lightning activity in the area when he blacked out for a period of time. He was sent for a medical assessment where an irregularity in heart beat was detected. Blood tests later confirmed that the worker was possibly subjected to an electric shock from the lightning.