Australian mine safety consultant David Reece continued giving evidence last Friday at the third phase of the Royal Commission inquiry into the Pike River disaster.

Reece was one of five experts employed by the Department of Labour to investigate the likely causes of the blast.

During cross-examination by lawyer Richard Raymond for the families of the deceased, Reece was questioned about the team’s role in examining a body in the mine, suspected to be that of a hydro-mining equipment operator.

Scans were taken from borehole 47, which was close to the hydro-mining area.

Reece told the commission the dead miner’s body appeared not to be in any “degree of great violence” but appeared more relaxed than anything else.

“We're of the view in that it seemed to be a relaxation or a collapsing of the body rather than any violent movement,” Reece said.

This pointed to the theory the miner was likely to have been overcome by explosive gasses released from the collapse of the goaf.

Reece agreed that the body, being located in the cross-cut section of the mine, was consistent with the theory of there being a goaf fall.

“Because he was a hydro-monitor operator he would have left the hydro-monitor operation area following a goaf fall knowing that the methane plug blast may have damaged that stopping and therefore walked from where he went in to the first cross-cut to see what damage had been done by that rock fall?” Raymod asked.

“Yes, that’s consistent with our thinking,” Reece said.

Reece said goaf falls were common and expected in underground mines but Pike River’s ventilation systems were ill equipped to deal with the high gas levels created.

Later in the day, Reece was questioned by Pike River Coal lawyer Stacey Shortall about the role “human factors” played in the disaster.

While Reece agreed with Shortall that it’s important when looking at the potential cause of an accident to consider the “action or inaction” of individuals involved at the mine at the time, he said it wasn’t part of the methodology that the investigative panel used to determine the cause of the Pike River explosion.

Shortall brought to light statements made by employees and contractors during interviews conducted following the explosion.

Shortall told the commission the interviewees had witnessed miners at Pike River using compressed airline underground to blow fresh air over machine sensors.

While the expert team had took this into consideration as part of its investigation, Reece wasn’t aware of statements revealing three of the men who died at the mine had been seen overriding safety features of machines used underground.

While the evidence didn’t change Reece’s view on the cause of the explosion, he said it could give weight to the theory that a diesel machine caused the blast.

During evidence, Reece told the commission the fresh air base, used for miners to seek refuge in an emergency, was not appropriate because it was not located deep into the mine.

The refuge bay was instead located in the slimline shaft.

“It’s not the location that you would’ve had it if you were in need,” he said.

“You need a changeover station, you need some means for changing breathing apparatus in an underground mine in order to effect an escape but you would be aiming to have that in as far as you could,” he said.

The inquiry into the disaster is running through to Friday.