VLI Drilling Response to Department of Labour charges

VLI Drilling Response to Department of Labour charges

31 July 2012

Valley Longwall International (VLI) is a market leader in the supply of specialized equipment and allied services to the coal mining industry. We have over 850 specialist personnel operating throughout Australia and overseas.

We regard the safety and wellbeing of our people as an absolute priority. Prior to the charges brought against us by the Department of Labour of NZ, VLI had not been charged with any breach of OH&S legislation either in Australia or in the other countries in which we operate.

A division of VLI, VLI Drilling Pty Ltd, supplied specialist drilling services to Pike River Coal Limited (PRC) at the Pike River mine. PRC was to conduct regular inspections of our drill rig as part of its mine safety management responsibilities. This is the standard arrangement with mines in which we provide specialist drilling services, including in Queensland.

The charges brought against us by the Department of Labour of NZ do not relate to the Pike River Mine disaster. The charges relate instead to our failure to have a procedure in place to verify that PRC had conducted its inspections of our drill rig, so that – if these had not been conducted – our rig was not operated.

In hindsight, our reliance on PRC’s processes alone is regretted. Our admission to the charges is intended to acknowledge that we could have done more to monitor PRC’s inspections of our equipment.

Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of all the victims of the Pike River Mine disaster.

ENDS

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