Carborough Downs Mine Management has admitted its failures led to the death of a worker and the severe injury of another.

The mine operators entered guilty pleas for two charges linked to the events.

Brad Duxbury, 57, lost his life in November 2019 when he was crushed by approximately two tonnes of coal while attending to electrical work at the Carborough Downs Mine in Central Queensland. 

This accident occurred in an area marked as “no access”, directly in front of an unstable coalface, which unexpectedly crumbled and buried him.

Just two months prior to this fatal incident, another miner, Cameron Best, sustained serious injuries under similar conditions. 

He was struck by an 85-kilogram slab of rock due to a failure in the mine’s ceiling, which had previously shown signs of instability.

The court heard from the prosecutor, Josh Underwood, that the mine had established safety protocols, which were comprehensive in scope but poorly enforced. 

“The complaint is not that the safety procedures at the mine were inadequate,” Underwood stated. 

“It's that they weren't followed.”

In response, the mine’s legal representation conceded that despite the provision of extensive safety training for its workers, further measures should have been taken to ensure these protocols were properly implemented.

The case has been adjourned, with sentencing scheduled for a future date.