Pike River Mine Disaster: Case Study on Occupational Health and Safety

The assignment is a report focusing on the Pike River Mine Disaster, a significant event in New Zealand's mining history. It examines the circumstances surrounding the 2010 explosion, which resulted in the deaths of 29 miners, and the subsequent investigations. The report outlines the causes of the disaster, including inadequate methane drainage, flawed electrical and ventilation designs, and a lack of government oversight. It also details the systemic failures within the coal company's safety plan. The report concludes with a discussion of preventive measures, such as improved ventilation, hazard warnings, and the importance of senior management's commitment to safety. The analysis uses insights from the Royal Commission of Inquiry and other scholarly sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disaster and its implications for occupational health and safety in the mining industry.

Running Head: OCCUPATION HEALTH AND SAFETY
Occupation Health and Safety
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1OCCUPATION HEALTH AND SAFETY
The assignment deals with the “Pike River coal mine explosion”. In response to the
disaster, the assignment aims to outline the circumstances, the effects of explosion and
preventive steps for prevention of future accident.
The Pike Rive mine disaster began in 2010 in New Zealand (West coast region) and three
explosions occurred in total (10th, 24th and 26th November). The methane mine explosion was due
to its accumulation in void formed after mining. Due to roof fall, it further expelled into the rest
of the area. As there are multiple sources of ignition in mine, it is unclear as to what exactly
sparked the explosion. As per the subsequent Royal commission of Inquiry, the combines errors
behind all the three explosions include- non-functioning gas sensors, inadequate methane
drainage, and flawed electrical and ventilation design. Further, there was no action taken on
hazard warnings by the government authorities. There was a systematic failure of the company to
to implement and audit its own safety plan (Pons, 2016).
Due to explosion, 33 men were trapped and 29 were killed. The Pike River coalfield was
subsequently sealed. Since 1914, the “Pike River Mine incident” is popular as “worst mining
disaster” in New Zealand's followed by 43 deaths at Ralph’s Mine in Hunty. Under the Health
and Safety in Employment Act, the department of labour laid charges against the coal company
(Nitz, 2016).
For prevention of small explosions, senior management should give authentic
information when danger signs are noted. The vital information on health and safety should be
valued and handled systematically. There is need of adequate ventilation to prevent ignition.
Dynamiting out the coal may produce less methane than hydro mining (Pons, 2016).

2OCCUPATION HEALTH AND SAFETY
References
Nitz, J. (2016). Tragedy at pike river mine: How and why 29 men died [Book Review]. Journal
of Australasian Mining History, 14, 193.
Pons, D. J. (2016). Pike River Mine Disaster: Systems-Engineering and Organisational
Contributions. Safety, 2(4), 21.