An Australian drilling company has pleaded guilty to three health-and-safety violations for its involvement in a 2010 coal mine disaster in New Zealand that killed 29 miners.
VLI Drilling pleaded guilty Tuesday in a New Zealand court to charges that it failed to keep its workers safe at the Pike River coal mine. The company faces a maximum fine of 750,000 New Zealand dollars ($607,000).
VLI, which was a contractor at the mine, employed two of the miners who died in a series of methane-fueled explosions.
Pike River Coal Ltd., which ran the mine, elected Tuesday not to contest nine charges. A court is scheduled in October to determine the bankrupt company's culpability.
Pike River's former CEO Peter Whittall faces 12 criminal charges, which he's vowed to fight.
- ABC News
No comments:
Post a Comment