“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families that have been affected by this tragic event,” he wrote in Department of Natural Resources and Mines letter yesterday.

“The incident is currently being investigated by the Queensland Mines Inspectorate and at this stage the likely nature and cause of the incident is still to be determined.”

Noting that it was the third tyre-related fatality in the Bowen Basin over recent years, he re-issued the 2011 safety alert based on a coal haulage road train fatality at the Foxleigh mine.

This alert said the sudden disintegration of pressurised tyre and rim assemblies was the main cause of fatalities among tyre service personnel or bystanders.

Causes include deteriorated rim assemblies, mismatched and disintegrated rim components, damaged or poorly fitted lock rings and damage or material fatigue of the tyres.

The February 16 fatal accident at Dawson’s workshop also injured another worker who went to a Brisbane hospital.

Last month Queensland Resources Council CEO Michael Roche called for a coal industry-wide review of safety following the tyre explosion fatality.

At a press conference outside Parliament House, Roche said he was sick and tired of hearing about fatalities involving tyre explosions.

“I have been in this job 10 years,” he said.

“The first such experience was in 2006. I just can’t believe that it continues to happen.”