Neath Port Talbot miner recalls rescuing trapped colleague

A miner has described how he "dragged" his colleague to safety after he became trapped under a rock when roof supports gave way in a mine.

Huw Thomas, 63, rescued Gwyn Woodland from Danygraig drift mine in south Wales in 2017 after "cheap" wooden pallet boards gave way underground.

On Monday, Three Ds Mining Ltd was found guilty of three counts of breaching health and safety laws.

David Jones, its director, told BBC Wales he would not respond to "lies".

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During the trial, Swansea Crown Court heard the roof should have been supported by horizontal bars no less than 2.4in (63.5mm) thick.

But mine owner Three Ds had started using pre-cut pallet boards, which were as thin as 0.78in (20mm) in some places, in the summer of 2017.

Pallet wood was used to support the roof of the mine at Danygraig Colliery, the court has heard

'It was a shock'

Mr Thomas, 63, said he had been the mine manager at Danygraig, in the Dulais Valley area of Neath Port Talbot, but at the time was working as a freelance collier.

Mr Thomas said he and his colleague were working at the mine one morning, and Mr Woodland was "punching (drilling) to put up extra supports, because these pallets that were being used weren't strong enough".

It was at this time that the wood gave way, trapping Mr Woodland and his puncher under a half-tonne rock.

"I was crawling down the face and I heard a fall of rock. I went down, Gwyn was trapped under a big stone. Now that stone had to come off him because he was struggling to breathe," he said.

"It was a shock. He didn't moan much but I could tell he was in pain.

"Gwyn being a strong bloke, he's like an ox. If he wasn't that strong, he would have died."

Huw Thomas freed Gwyn Woodland before dragging him out of the mine

While trapped under the rock, Mr Thomas said Mr Woodland was in danger from a "secondary fall" which would have "flattened" the coal face.

He added: "I had to break the stone off Gwyn with a sledge [hammer].

"He broke three bones in his back, his legs were crushed, he couldn't walk, he was in a hell of a state.

"I had to chip around the stone and hope it would break in the middle. Because I couldn't directly hit it on to Gwyn, because he was already in agony. I had to work as quickly as I can, to get him out as quickly as I can.

"If I hadn't have done that, he would have died. I couldn't go and get help, I couldn't leave him, because the top was picking, there was going to be another fall, and he was struggling to breathe."

Company 'put lives at risk'

Mr Thomas said it took about three or four minutes to get the stone off Mr Woodland, before he "dragged" him out of the mine.

Mr Thomas said the mine owner, David Jones, tried to "cover up" what had happened by not reporting it to the Health and Safety Executive.

He said: "The next day I went into work, the owner asked me to ask Gwyn to come into work so it wouldn't be a reportable incident.

"I phoned Gwyn up and said 'could you come into work?' He said 'you're having a laugh.' He couldn't move out of the chair, let alone come to work."

Mr Thomas said Mr Jones was "obviously" trying to cut corners and "without a shadow of a doubt", Three Ds Mining Ltd "put lives at risk".

He added Mr Woodland had never heard from the mine owner again.

"He hasn't had any wages for three years and I think it was disgusting the way he was treated," he said.

Mr Jones told BBC Wales: "I don't have a response to lies. If the jury believed those lies, then what else can I say?"

Three Ds Mining Ltd is due to be sentenced on 10 September.

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