Alert no. 468 | 22 January 2026 | Version 1

Worker suffers crush injuries after incident at coal mine

What happened?

• A coal mine worker was seriously injured in an incident that occurred at an underground coal mine on Tuesday, 20 January.
• While the investigation is in its early stages, initial information indicates the worker suffered crush injuries after becoming temporarily trapped between two vehicles.

How did it happen?

• The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning at an underground coal mine in Central Queensland.
• A coal mine worker operating a skid steer loader was travelling up the box cut ramp of the mine when the machine overheated and the operator exited the skid steer loader to initiate a cooling process.
• Shortly afterwards, a load haul dump (LHD) was travelling up the box cut ramp with a large QDS  implement attached to the front of machine which obscured vision.
• The LHD operator did not see the coal mine worker and the skid steer loader, the LHD QDS implement struck the coal mine worker, crushing them between the skid steer loader momentarily, causing injury.
• The worker was freed and was transported to hospital for further treatment.

The site where the crush injury incident occurred at a Central Queensland coal mine.

Recommendations

• All Senior Site Executives (SSE) should take action to ensure associated risks are appropriately mitigated, noting the circumstances of this incident. Steps include:
  • Review their ‘no go zones’ for all plant on site and consider blind spots of the mobile equipment both with and without loads attached.
  • Review and audit the effectiveness of their site traffic management systems, including for transporting loads in or around the mine. The system should consider direction of travel of LHDs when loads inhibit vision for the direction of travel, and other ways to manage situations where loads or vehicle features inhibit or obscure driver visibility.
  • Ensure breakdown kits are practical, meaning when used for demarcation of the equipment they are visible to other mobile equipment operators - this needs to be applied to both underground and surface applications.
  • Remind all workers to be vigilant on ensuring they assess risk before performing a task where they are in the line of fire from other work groups or machinery travel paths and take appropriate measures to isolate themselves from the risk.

References and further information

• Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 - Sections 39 and 39A
• Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulations 2017 – Sections 76, 77 and 260.
• Guidance Note QGN 27 Collision prevention (Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Act 1999)
• Safety Alert 463 – Worker trapped by reversing vehicle
• Safety Alert 251 - Safe operation of light vehicles
• Safety Alert 206 – Crushed between mobile equipment
• Safety Alert 416 - Pedestrian suffers serious crush injury from reversing mobile plant
• Safety Alert 419 - Mobile Plant Reversing into Light Vehicle
• Safety Alert 443 – Fatal accident involving light vehicle and B-double