A Queensland mining contractor has been fined $32,500 for failing to arrange health assessments for two coal mine workers, as reported by Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ).
The state’s resources regulator, RSHQ, has launched an investigation, which revealed the testing failure occurred after a company’s director was found to have falsified health assessment reports, as well as a drug and alcohol screening report.
On 24 October, the company was sentenced after pleading guilty to failing to comply with its obligations under Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999. The undisclosed company’s director was also sentenced in Brisbane Magistrates Court in September for initially falsifying the medical records, a separate offence to the failure to arrange tests.
RSHQ director of health strategy and compliance Patrick Jensen says the sentencing sent a clear message that worker safety and health cannot be compromised.
“Medical tests ensure workers can do their job safely and are vital in the early detection of occupational diseases like black lung,” Jensen says.
“This outcome serves as a warning that neglecting testing obligations and endangering workers’ safety and health will not be tolerated by the regulator and will prove far more costly than implementing proper medical screening.”
The RSHQ is an independent regulatory body of worker safety and health in Queensland’s mining, quarrying, petroleum, gas, and explosives industries.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: RSHQ
