An inquiry into coal mine safety in Queensland has been told contract workers and labour hire staff were disproportionately represented in mining deaths and when safety concerns were raised it led to reprisals.
State parliament launched the inquiry into safety in the industry after an explosion in 2020 at a mine in Grosvenor.
The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) has also told the inquiry that contract or labour hire workers were less likely to report safety issues for fear of backlash and lack of job security.
"They are paid less with reduced benefits," industry safety representative with the union Stephen Watts said.
"It's obvious contract or labour hire employees, whether they're permanent or casual, are vulnerable to reprisal for stopping the job for safety reasons, or even for simply raising safety issues."
Furthermore he said they were more likely to be killed or seriously injured in mining accidents.
"Back to 2002 … in Queensland coal mines there've been 22 people killed; 16 contractors, six permanent," Mr Watts said.
"So the evidence is there."
He said that when there have been complaints of reprisals for raising safety concerns, there has not been any action taken.
"There's been over 150 reprisal complaints with not one prosecution," he said.
"It's pretty obvious that the system [gives] disincentives [for] reporting safety issues."
He called for tougher legislation to crack down on companies found to punish people for raising safety concerns.
Miners need to be encouraged to speak up: Macfarlane
More should be done to ensure mine workers report safety issues, Queensland's peak mining body said.
Ian Macfarlane, the head of the Queensland Resources Council, told the inquiry that miners need to be encouraged to speak up, and he recommended an annual forum to discuss the best ways to do that.
"[That] the Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health Queensland chair an annual industry forum on what strategies companies are using to encourage workers to speak up on safety issues," he said.
"What is working and what is not working will assist companies in addressing the fear of reprisals issue."
He said miners can use an anonymous hotline to report safety complaints.
However, both the Mining Energy Union and a representative of BHP said they had never heard of the anonymous hotline.
"There should be no reluctance for a miner to lodge a complaint anonymously," Mr Macfarlane said.
"If the system isn't working to the absolute optimum, let's work out what we can do to make it better."
Mr Macfarlane said over-regulation is not the answer, and that a "cookie cutter" approach would not work because each mine is different.
He said the best way to improve safety is to have mining companies and the unions talking to each other.
Mr Watt's said safety should come first and production will follow.
"[But] the view that good health and safety performance leads to reduced production is unfortunately widespread in the industry," he said.
"The reality on the ground is that production is always the priority."
