Glencore has not provided much detail on the production-halting incident but did say the man was recovering in Mackay Base Hospital after undergoing surgery on leg injuries on Friday night.

Queensland’s Department of Natural Resources and Mines said the man was an electrical contractor who “suffered leg injuries after becoming pinned by coal conveyor machinery near the face of a longwall”.

While the matter remains under investigation, an account of the accident from a source indicates that Oaky North has lived up to the form which won it the Australian Mines Rescue competition last year.

The source said the worker had a vein cut in his leg which caused him to lose about three litres of blood by the time he reached hospital.

According to the account, the contractor was walking beside the maingate drive as a conveyor push was occurring at the longwall face.

The contractor is believed to have slipped, fell over and then became stuck as he tried to move out of the way.

“His leg appears to have been cut on a rib bolt,” the source revealed.

“By all reports the crew did an excellent job of getting him out.”

Investigation efforts could look into communication matters and the no go zone among other issues.

Medical studies indicate that a man weighing 70kg has about five litres of blood. Blood transfusions are typically required once 30-40% of circulating blood volume is lost, as blood pressure gets dangerously low.