The man in charge of the rescue of two men who fell into a shaft at the Mount Lyell mine in 2013 has defended at a coronial inquest the method used to reach the pair and time taken to alert Ambulance Tasmania.
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Craig Gleeson and Alistair Lucas were killed at the Queenstown mine while performing a maintenance task on the mine’s 18th level when the loosely formed pine plank on which they were standing gave way and the two plummeted 22 metres.
Copper Mines Tasmania occupational health and safety manager Phil Kemp was notified of the incident at 9.10am and co-ordinated an emergency response.
On reaching the 18th level 30 minutes later, he said he could see just one man in the shaft which meant the rescue team was at that time unable to use a man cage to lower themselves down for fear of crushing the other worker.
He said a decision was made to have two men, Lachlan Brown and Robert Butterfield, abseil down the shaft.
The two men reached Mr Lucas, who was still responsive, but Mr Gleason was not.
The man cage was used to transport Mr Lucas up a level and an ambulance was contacted at 10.27am.
Mr Kemp said it was standard practice for a mine emergency team to conduct its work first and then request external assistance.
The inquest has heard criticisms over the time it took paramedics to be notified of the incident and the rescue method used, particularly over the decision not to use the shaft’s ladderway.
He said rescue using ladders was one of the most complex and difficult rescue tasks as the area was generally poorly lit and slippery and involved workers carrying heavy equipment.
Conversely, using a rope system and abseiling was faster and easier.
“I’m talking to you as a 30-year veteran in mine rescue, going own the shaft with a rope was the only way,” Mr Kemp said.
“I don’t believe we could have done (the rescue) better.
“I’ve been plagued my whole career by armchair experts telling me what I could have done or should have done. I just take it on the chin.”
He recalled a similar rescue in a mainland mine where two men had fallen down a shaft and one survived.
Mr Kemp said that mine was more than 190 kilometres from tertiary care services so there was a trauma nurse on-site to assist with treatment.
“If we had on standby a person with that level of training and expertise, it is possible that we could have done a lot more for Alistair,” he said.
The inquest, before coroner Simon Cooper, will resume on June 4.
