NSW: Mine owners, operators guilty of safety breach at Gretley

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2004
NSW: Mine owners, operators guilty of safety breach at Gretley

SYDNEY, Aug 9 AAP - The owners and several operators of a Hunter Valley colliery have
been found guilty of safety breaches that led to the deaths of four miners in the Gretley
disaster almost eight years ago.

Miners Edward Batterham, 48, Damon Murray, 19, John Hunter, 36 and Mark Kaiser, 30,
drowned in a mining shaft 150 metres underground after they drilled into a flooded shaft
in the Gretley Colliery on November 14, 1996.

NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) Justice Patricia Staunton today handed down
her judgment which found the companies and three individuals guilty of safety breaches.

Today, the Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company, its parent company Oakbridge, the mine's
surveyor and two managers were found guilty of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety
Act.

Gretley mine manager Richard Porteous was found guilty, along with manager John Erik
Romcke and mine surveyor Mark Robinson.

Five other undermanagers at the mine had charges against them dismissed.

At the time of the disaster, Gretley was operated by Newcastle Wallsend and Oakbridge.

It is now owned by Xstrata.

The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union said the convictions were historic
and long overdue.

AAP evt/smb/it/sd/kbw/sco/sd

KEYWORD: GRETLEY

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