12 December 2006 Mine company admits health and safety
breaches
The employer of miner Robert McGowan has
admitted it failed to take all practicable steps to protect
Mr McGowan, who was killed while at work in March.
Black
Reef Mine Ltd today pleaded guilty to two charges brought by
the Department of Labour under the Health and Safety in
Employment Act for failing to protect Mr McGowan and mine
manager Gary Haddow, who survived the 8 March 2006
inundation at Tiller Mine. Six other charges against the
company, and one against company director Shane Bocock, were
withdrawn today in the Greymouth District Court.
Two other
parties have also been charged in relation to Mr McGowan’s
death: Mr Haddow and another defendant whose name has been
suppressed. They will next appear in court on 8 February
2007.
Workplace Services Southern Regional Manager Sheila
McBreen-Kerr said today’s guilty plea by Black Reef Mine
Ltd was a huge step forward in the prosecution process. The
reduction in the number of charges in no way reduced the
seriousness of the offence or Black Reef Mine Ltd’s
culpability, she said.
“The primary responsibility for
Mr McGowan’s health and safety at work lay with his
employer, Black Reef Mine Ltd, and by pleading guilty the
company has today accepted that,” Ms McBreen-Kerr
said.
“Under the HSE Act, the onus is on employers to
identify workplace risks, take ownership of them and to
manage them appropriately. Where they clearly fail to do so,
they must be held accountable for these failures.”
Black
Reef Mine Ltd will be sentenced at the completion of the
other matters before the court.
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