The Collie community was left shocked by the death of a worker at the Griffin Coal mine last week.
Neville Bentley, 42, passed away last Thursday night as a result of injuries suffered in the industrial accident.
The CFMEU Mining and Energy Division’s Greg Busson said the death had an enormous impact on the community, particularly within the mining community.
“Collie is a tight-knit community,” he said.
“Being a small town, everyone is connected. Everyone will either have known Neville or known someone who did, so it has affected a lot of people.
“Neville used to work at Premier Coal as well, so it’s not just the workers at Griffin who have been affected by it.
“Every working person has the right to come home safe.
“We ask that the privacy of the family be respected and that everyone supports the investigation into the tragic incident.”
Mr Busson said workers who had been on shift at the time of incident returned to work on Tuesday and were being supported with counselling services provided by Griffin Coal.
The mine was shut down on Friday while police and mine safety inspectors investigated the incident.
He said the investigation had been turned over to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, who sent down two investigation inspectors from Perth on Friday.
“We’re providing help where we can, but the tragic event is now being investigated by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety,” Senior Sergeant Soutar said.
“The investigation will hopefully determine how the incident occurred and how it can be stopped from happening again.”
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety mines safety director Andrew Chaplyn said the investigation is ‘in its early stages’.
“While investigations follow a methodical process, each is different and this results in variable timelines,” he said.
“Once the department has completed its investigation it will provide a detailed report for the State Coroner.
“We will also review the report to determine if there is a prima facie case for prosecution.”
The department will also work with the industry to ensure similar incidents are not repeated.
