12. KEVIN HAGUE (Green) Link to this
to the Minister of Labour
Did the Department of Labour Inspector Kevin Poynter sign off the Alimak raise and ventilation shaft as meeting minimum standards and adequate as a second egress from the Pike River mine on 12 August 2010; if so, why?
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Labour) Link to this
I am advised that the department is not aware of any such formal sign-off, but the matter raised is the subject of evidence before the royal commission of inquiry, which will no doubt make its determination accordingly.
Is she aware that the Mines Rescue service audited the emergency exit involving the 55-metre sheer vertical ladder with a carrying capacity of just eight men, and found it to be extremely difficult to use, and impossible in a fire; that attempts to trial it as an exit, in ideal conditions, ended in failure; and that on the day of the disaster Daniel Rockhouse attempted to use this exit to escape but was forced to abandon it, just 10 metres up the ladder, because it was too physically demanding?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
I am aware and understand that there have been some criticisms in relation to that second access, but can I say that the matter of access is the subject of evidence before the royal commission. I think it would be wise if we waited for them to make their determination accordingly.
If the emergency exit from a mine can meet minimum standards, as former mine manager Doug White has said on oath to the royal commission, yet be impossible to use, does it not suggest to the Minister, as it does to every other New Zealander, that those standards are in urgent need of reform?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
I am not prepared to speculate on the adequacy, or otherwise, of the second access, nor on safety issues, because these are matters for ongoing investigation. Indeed, they are the matter of evidence. Some of it has not been tested, and it certainly has not been determined as yet by the royal commission of inquiry.
How does she think the families of miners must feel, knowing that miners go underground every day into mines where their safety is assured by regulations so bad that they allowed Pike River Coal to get away with an emergency exit that was impossible to use, and with a Government that refuses to take action to improve things until the royal commission reports?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
I hope the families will consider that the Government is doing what it can to ensure that the royal commission of inquiry is as wide ranging as possible. The Government has conducted operational reviews. It has reviewed the safety of existing mines, and also there is an investigation pending under the Health and Safety in Employment Act. I am reluctant to go into too much detail for fear of pre-empting any of those outcomes, as I do not believe that is in the public interest.
Hon Rick BarkerDo the reports from the Pike River mine inquiry, which highlight the disconnect between the trained and knowledgable specialists, Mines Rescue, and those making the decisions about rescue, based in Wellington at her Department of Labour and Police National Headquarters, raise concerns with her, and will she remedy this flaw and ensure that in the future, decisions about mines rescue will be made by the specialists who are at the scene and best placed to make the decisions?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
I am not going to speculate or pre-empt what the determinations of the royal commission of inquiry will be. I can say we are watching it very, very carefully, and when those determinations are forthcoming we will certainly consider the matters very, very seriously.
Does the Minister accept that the deficiencies of the Pike River coalmine, such as telephones not working, no functioning safe emergency air, and a totally inadequate secondary emergency exit, highlight the inadequacy of the mines inspectorate, and does this give her the resolve to fix these deficiencies to make our mines safer?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
As I have said before, the safety issues at the Pike River mine are currently being considered by the royal commission of inquiry. They are also subject to criminal investigations by both the Department of Labour and the police, which may result in criminal charges. Given this, it is not in the public interest for me to comment on issues that are likely to be the subject of those investigations, by speculating about what may or may not have occurred, and what may or may not have been safe.
Darien FentonDoes the Minister agree with the comments made by mines inspectors, in the review of her department’s interaction with Pike River Coal, that workplace safety representatives really made much of a positive contribution, and that there was essentially nothing to be learnt from those who were actually doing the work underground in the mine?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
The report that we had, which gave recommendations on small mines, did indeed make recommendations on employee participation. It is the legal responsibility of the employer to keep the workplace safe, but it is also important that the whole workplace does have a culture of workplace safety, and that is the responsibility of both employers and employees.