Black Reef mine-death case trio remanded without plea

The Black Reef Mine accident that claimed the life of a Runanga miner had its sequel in the Greymouth District Court yesterday.

Three defendants were remanded without plea until November 21 after being given a registrar's adjournment.

The Department of Labour has included charges from a previous incident regarding Lance Edward McKenzie.

Gary David Haddow, 52, of Runanga, has been charged with failing to ensure the safety of Mr McKenzie in the mine on February 20, and failing to take all practicable steps to ensure Robert James McGowan and himself were not exposed to the hazard of the inrush of water on March 8.

Mr McGowan died when the underground mine was suddenly flooded on March 8.

Haddow, who was the mine manager at the time, survived the rushing waters by jumping up and clinging on to a roof bolt.

Shane Clifford Bocock, 42, of Karoro, as a director of Black Reef Mine Ltd, is charged with failing to ensure the safety of the workers.

The company is accused of failing to keep an operations record, failing to ensure a mining plan was in place, failing to ensure escape routes existed in the event of an inrush of water and failing to ensure employees drilled ahead to avoid breaking into old workings.

It is also accused of failing to ensure its manager held a current certificate of compliance and failing to ensure the safety of McGowan, McKenzie and Haddow.

Another man, who has name suppression, was also remanded until November 21. He entered a not guilty plea to a charge that he, being an employee, failed to ensure that no action, or inaction, of his caused mine employees to be exposed to an inrush of water.

His lawyer, Pat Butler, requested the charge be dismissed. He argued that his client was not actually an employee and that the ultimate responsibility was on the employer.

The man made two short visits to the mine and did fall into the employee category as he was an independent contractor.

The charge also failed to say who had employed him.

- NZPA