A man who died during a rockfall at Grange Resources' Savage River mine in 2017 had not worked on a mine site before the incident that claimed his life.
Mine manager Matthew Anderson told an inquest into the death of Nathaniel Owen Beesley in March 2017 that the contracted worker was part of a team of four who had been tasked to scale a mine wall to ensure its safety.
Mr Anderson said Mr Beesley and another man had not scaled a mine wall before though Mr Beesley had experience with abseiling due to his time in the army.
Mr Beesley, former British Royal Marine, had been employed by mining engineering firm SRG while he was awaiting entry into the Australian forces.
Mr Anderson said the team Mr Beesley was a part of had replaced another team who had undertaken mine scaling, but had been relieved of their work due to fatigue.
"The assessment of the team was that they were tired and they needed to take time off," Mr Anderson said.
"There had been a number of incidents and they were all a bit flustered."
He said that team had expressed concerns about an overhanging rock on the mine's wall.
Mr Anderson said a radar system to monitor rock movements could not warn of rockfalls of 250 to 300 tonnes.
"In context, we've had a number of rockfalls on that wall that have been over one million tonnes and for those large rockfalls, the radar is very effective," he said.
Mr Anderson during the hearing expressed condolences on behalf of Grange Resources to Mr Beesley's widow Katie who was seated in the court.
Mine safety officer Gilbert Charles in his evidence said he had not seen a rockfall like the one that killed Mr Beesley in 40 years working in mines as it had come without warning.
An email produced in court showed that Mr Charles was uneasy about the scaling operation due to its risk.
"To me, the project had a scary side to it," Mr Charles said when asked about the email.
"In my opinion, the sooner it was done and dusted, the happier I'd feel."
The inquest will continue on Wednesday.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
