A 71-year-old worker remains in a critical condition after a maintenance incident at the Crinum underground mine near Emerald in Central Queensland.
ABC News reported that Resources Safety and Health Queensland's initial investigation found the worker was carrying out maintenance on a pressurised pipe while standing on the bumper of a drift runner vehicle on Saturday.
According to the regulator's preliminary account, the pipe blew, dust reduced visibility and the worker fell before the vehicle moved and struck him. He was treated for significant injuries and transferred to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.
The regulator has issued a safety alert highlighting the need to isolate and depressurise equipment, establish exclusion zones and use suitable work platforms. Its investigation is continuing, and the preliminary information does not amount to a final finding about responsibility.
Illustration disclosure: The featured image is an AI-generated, restrained editorial illustration of a fictional mine safety inspection after work has stopped. It does not depict the injured worker, the actual mine or the incident.
