Yancoal is awaiting the ruling of an appeal against two safety notices handed to its Austar Mine near Cessnock.
Yesterday, the company announced it would commence standing down employees and where possible, redeploying the majority to other underground operations.
It comes after the NSW Resources Regulator banned all underground longwall production at the site following two significant coal burst events earlier this year in February and May,
A coal burst event is described by the Resources Regulator as a pressure bump that results in dynamic rock failure in the vicinity of a mining excavation, resulting in high-velocity expulsion of the material into the excavation.
No workers were seriously injured during the two coal burst events. One worker was taken to hospital and treated for a cut to his hand.
Yancoal Australia Chief Executive Officer Reinhold Schmidt said the majority of the Austar workforce have been redeployed to the Ashton, Abel and Moolarben underground mines.
"Until all legal avenues have been exhausted and we can re-enter the mine to move the longwall, we are unable to continue proposed longwall activity," Mr Schmidt said.
A company spokesperson has told 2NURFM, Austar will retain skeleton crews to maintain the operation in accordance with compliance requirements.
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| Austar Coal Mine in the Hunter Valley. Photo: ABC. |
