Hunter Valley Energy Coal has been heavily fined over a blast incident at its Mount Arthur coal mine near Muswellbrook in February 2014.
The company was penalised nearly $60,000 and also ordered to pay the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s costs of $30,000.
The blast created potentially harmful fumes that travelled over Thomas Mitchell Drive Industrtrial Estate at Muswellbrook.
EPA Manager for the Hunter Region, Adam Gilligan said the result was a positive one for the local community.
“Incidents like this cause significant concern to the community, particularly for those who find themselves in the direct path of potentially harmful fumes. The EPA takes these matters very seriously and this result serves as a reminder to industry of the need to ensure proper procedures are in place to prevent incidents like this occurring in the future.
