List of environmental accidents in the fossil fuel industry in Australia

This is a list of industrial accidents and incidents that have resulted in environmental damage and/or has resulted in death or major injury that have occurred within the fossil fuel industry in Australia, in either the extraction, mining, processing or transporting phases.

Oil tanker Oceanic Grandeur oil spill – 1970Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Oceanic Grandeur, Torres Strait, 3 March 1970 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Box Flat Mine explosion resulting in the death of 17 miners – 1972 Bulk coal tanker Sygna oil spill – 1974Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Sygna, Newcastle, 26 May 1974 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Oil tanker Princess Anne Marie oil spill – 1975Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Princess Anne Marie, offshore Western Australia, 14 July 1975 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Kianga coal mine explosion – 1975 Accessed 20/3/2014 Oil tanker World Encouragement oil spill – 1979Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, World Encouragement, Botany Bay, September 1979 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Appin coal mine explosion resulting in the death of 14 miners – 1979 Oil tanker Esso Gippsland oil spill – 1982Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Esso Gippsland oil pollution incident, Port Stanvac, 22 January 1982 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Moura coal mine roof fall and explosion – 1986 Accessed 20/3/2014 Collinsville Coal Roof collapse in mine shaft – 1988 Accessed 20/3/2014 Crude oil tanker Arthur Phillip oil spill – 1990Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Arthur Phillip, Cape Otway, Victoria, 21 May 1990 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Oakleigh Number Three Colliery roof collapse resulting in death of a miner – 1990Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries Rodney Elwyn MADDOX 1990, 21/10/2007. Accessed 20/3/2014 Newlands coal mine gas explosion resulting in death of miner – 1990 Accessed 20/3/2014 Goonyella-Riverside coal mine outrush of coal and water – 1991 Accessed 20/3/2014 South Bulli coal mine incident resulting in the death of 3 miners – 1991South Bulli Gas Outburst - 1991 Western Main coal mine Pillar Collapse resulting in the death of 3 miners – 1991"MDG 1020 Review Guidelines for Underground Emergency Escape Systems and Provision of Self Rescuers" for the NSW Trade & Investment - Resources and Energy Division by David Nichols. Accessed 21/3/2014 Moura Open Cut coal mine incident resulting in death of 2 miners and serious injury to 2 others – 1993Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries BOLTON, KERR, BISSELL and SWIFT 21/10/2007. Accessed 20/3/2014 Oil tanker Kirki oil spill – 1991Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Kirki, Western Australia, 21 July 1991 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Moura coal mine explosion – 1994Moura inquiries Moura No 2, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, 13/12/2010. Accessed 20/3/2014 Xstrata's Oaky Creek coal mine, miner lost his life when vehicle was driven over the edge of the excavation due to the substandard condition of the workplace – 1996Mining wardens inquiries Alan MORGAN, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government 21/9/2007. Accessed 21/03/2014 Laleham No1 coal mine, miner pinned between machinery resulting in death of miner – 1996Mining wardens inquiries Gary John WILSON, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government 21/9/2007. Accessed 21/3/2014 Gretley coal mine disaster resulting in the death of 4 miners – 1996"Charges laid over Gretley coal mine disaster" ABC news 12/8/2003. Accessed 21/3/2014"Mine found guilty over Gretley disaster" The Sydney Morning Herald 9/8/2004. 21/3/2014 Newhill coal mine, rib collapse causing death to miner – 1997Mining wardens inquiries Trevor George DOMROW, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government 21/12/2007. Accessed 21/3/2014 BHP's Blackwater Open Cut coal mine, vehicle incident resulting in death of miner – 1997Mining wardens inquiries Dale GADSBY, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government 21/12/2007. Accessed 21/3/2014 Esso Longford gas plant explosion – 1998 Mobil Port Stanvac Refinery oil spill – 1999Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Port Stanvac, 28 June 1999 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Varanus Island Terminal oil spill – 1999Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, MV Torungen – Varanus Island Terminal – Varanus Island, WA, 26 July 1999 - 25 tonnes. Accessed 19/3/2014 Oil tanker Laura D'Amato oil spill – 1999>Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Laura D'Amato, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, 3 August 1999 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Oil carrier Sylvan Arrow oil spill – 1999Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Sylvan Arrow - near Wilson’s Promontory, Victoria, 18 December 1999 . Accessed 19/3/2014 Cook coal mine coal dislodged resulting in death of miner – 2000Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries John Anthony MAHER,20/10/2007. Accessed 20/03/2014 Jellinabah Open Cut Coal incident causing severe crush injuries to miner – 2000Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries John Anthony MAHER, Mining wardens inquiries Christopher John LEE 20/10/2007. Accessed 21/3/2014 Oaky coal mine roof fall causing death to miner – 2000Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries Michael James MORRIS 20/10/2007. Accessed 21/3/2014 Goonyella Riverside coal mine experienced a major structural failure resulting in serious injury to a miner – 2000Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries Laurence THOMAS 20/10/2007. Accessed 21/3/2014 Bulk carrier Global Peace oil spill at RG Tanner Coal loading facility in Gladstone in Queensland – 2006Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Global Peace – Gladstone, Queensland, 24 January 2006. Accessed 19/3/2014 Yallourn Power Station Coal mine wall collapse (mine flooded by the Latrobe River) – 2007Mining Warden Yallourn Mine Batter Failure Inquiry, Victorian Government 2008 Venus Island gas pipeline explosion – 2008 Santos Limited Port Bonython groundwater contamination (Crude oil leak from storage tanks enter the groundwater) – 2008–2012Port Bonython - Menard Bachy Menard Bachy (2010-08-24). Accessed 19/3/2014Further contamination at Santos' Port Bonython facility Environment Protection Authority (2010). Accessed 19/03/2014"Santos says oil-leak clean-up working" ABC News 9/5/2012. Accessed 19/3/2014 Montara Well Head Platform blowout and subsequent oil and gas spill – 2009Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Major Oil Spills in Australia, Montara Well Head Platform. Accessed 19/3/2014 Eastern Star Gas (taken over by Santos Ltd) Coal Stream Gas operation incident which resulted in 10,000 litres of toxic water waste entering the environment in the Pilliga State Forest – 2011"Santos fined $52,500 for NSW pollution breach" ABC Rural news 15/1/2014. Accessed 19/3/2014"Santos fined over Eastern Star Gas toxic water spill" The Courier 14/1/2014. Accessed 19/3/2014 Princes Highway closed after heavy resulted in land movement at the Hazelwood mine causing cracks in the road – 2011"Fears of collapse to shut Princes Highway for three months" The Age 11/2/2011. Accessed 19/03/2014"Princes Freeway at Morwell to reopen soon" Media release Premier of Victoria 1/8/2011. Accessed 19/03/2014 Springvale and Angus Place coal mines – Undertook unapproved coal mining and/or discharging mine groundwater into an environmentally sensitive area – 2011Enforceable undertaking between Springvale Coal and Centennial Angus Place and the Commonwealth Environment Minister 21/10/2011. Accessed 22/3/2014 Collapse of the Morwell River Diversion at the Yallourn Coal Mine – 2012Yallourn Coal Mine Inquiries, Department of State Development, Business and Innovation, Victoria 10/2/2012. Accessed 19/3/2014 Santos Limited Jackson oil spill – 2013"Santos confirms uncontrolled leak at oil and gas well in Queensland's remote southwest" News.com.au 20/5/2013. Accessed 19/3/2013

See also Mining accidents in Australia

References

External links Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland government, Mining wardens inquiries Australian Maritime Safety Authority Major historical incidents The Australian Emergency Management Knowledge Hub - Industrial Case judgements from the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act - Department of the Environment