It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when somebody is going to get killed or seriously hurt.Sally*, former haul truck driver, Carmichael coal mine
When Jessu Cleland started work at Adani's Carmichael coal mine back in 2020, he was feeling optimistic.
, the mine's development began, with recruitment ads from Bravus Mining & Resources — the Australian subsidiary of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's Adani Group, which owns Carmichael — presenting a compelling image.
"Become a part of something exciting as we ramp up production at Carmichael mine. These opportunities don't come along every day," reads one ad for a haul truck operator.
It was an attractive proposition for Cleland, who had all but given up on mining.
Perks of the job included flights to and from his home in Townsville, grilled seafood nights at the workers' camp and, with a licence to mine up to 60 million tonnes a year, the potential for Carmichael one day to become the largest coal mine in the Southern Hemisphere.
"After listening to them [the Adani recruitment team], the big spiel that they gave me in the interview … I said, 'Okay, it'd be worth giving this place a go'," Cleland recalls.
He felt his career prospects were bright.
Jessu Cleland believed his career prospects were bright when he first started working at the mine. Source: SBS News / Chris Phillips
The Carmichael coal mine has been labelled "one of the worst mines in the country" by Mining & Energy Union (MEU) district vice president Shane Brunker, with several current and former workers describing it as "an accident waiting to happen".
Crushed vehicles, crumbling roads and clouds of dangerous silica-laced dust are among the risks workers have grown accustomed to, and many have now had enough.
Twenty-one current and former staff members have come forward to speak out about Carmichael's reportedly unsafe working conditions.
They have told SBS News they are doing so as a last resort, having lost faith in management, and in the hope that bringing public attention to what's going on inside the mine might help prevent what they see as an otherwise inevitable workplace fatality.
It's only a matter of time. It'll happen. I just hope it's not one of my mates.Matt*, grader operator
SBS News has tried to independently verify the claims made by the workers in this story and sought comments from Bravus and the company it contracts to operate the Carmichael mine site, the MacKellar Group, as well as the Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) — the state's independent mining work, health and safety regulator.
Bravus denies allegations
In response to questions about specific issues raised by workers, a spokesperson for Bravus described them as "unfounded claims made by the Mining and Energy Union".
"They are part of a long-running campaign by union officials to try to damage the reputation of our business, and of our contractors, and to justify the membership fees they collect from workers at our mine before enterprise bargaining begins later this year.
"We take workplace health and safety extremely seriously, maintain high standards, and comply with all state and federal legislation. We actively encourage people employed at Carmichael to come forward either in person or anonymously and use any of the multiple channels available to them to raise concerns or provide feedback, and these are resolved as they arise."
Five years later, Jessu Cleland says his optimism about working at Carmichael has disappeared. Source: SBS News / Chris Phillips
"Bravus prefers to attack the union rather than address the serious concerns raised by workers.
"The MEU is committed to holding Adani/Bravus to account for delivering quality jobs. The concerns we have raised come directly from the workforce, who are frustrated at the lack of action by Bravus and lead contractor [MacKellar Group]."
The underlying claims SBS News put to Bravus — and those mentioned in this story — are based on the testimony of 21 workers and their firsthand accounts of workplace conditions. SBS News has also reviewed videos, photos and documentary evidence that appear to support many of the claims made.
Only three former Carmichael workers — Jessu Cleland, Michael Miller and Trent Batley — have agreed to their names being published. All other current and former employees requested anonymity, citing concerns about being blacklisted within the relatively insular Queensland coal industry. SBS News has changed the names of those workers.
'Push, push, push'
Workers say the first signs of workplace strain started to surface shortly after Carmichael of Australian coal in January 2022.
The following month, Russia's invasion of Ukraine catapulted the price of coal to a 10-year high, where it remained for nearly a year before dropping in late January 2023.
Production demands at Carmichael escalated rapidly.
Coal prices peaked in September 2022, according to data from the World Bank Commodity Price index. Source: SBS News
Despite in 2017, before the mine's approval, to "bring energy security to millions of Indians who do not have access to electricity", the report shows his company has been selling its Carmichael product to the lucrative international seaborne thermal coal market instead.
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in May, CEO of Adani Natural Resources Vinay Prakash boasted of huge jumps to Carmichael's export numbers, saying: "Shipment increased by 52 per cent to 11.2 million metric [tonnes] during FY24."
"We should do close to 14.5 million [tonnes] this year, FY25. We will try to touch 15," he said.
The responsibility for managing the mine's production targets rests with Queensland-based company MacKellar Group, owned by North American Construction Group, which has been contracted by Adani to run Carmichael since 2021.
But workers have told SBS News that these targets put a dangerous strain on day-to-day operations. They allege the mine has been expanding too quickly and without the infrastructure, operating practices or staffing required to meet Adani's production demands safely.
Carmichael coal mine is owned by Bravus Mining & Resources and operated by the MacKellar Group. Source: SBS News
In a statement, Barry Palmer, its regional president, said: "As a mining contractor, Mackellar Group is deeply committed to providing safe and healthy working conditions for all employees at every site we operate on."
"While we cannot comment on specific claims you've raised, I want to emphasise that safety and environmental responsibility are at the core of our business principles.
"We are dedicated to identifying, understanding, and managing workplace hazards and environmental impacts effectively."
Our ongoing goal is to achieve safety excellence in all our operations and ensure the well-being of our teams and communities we serve.Barry Palmer, regional president, MacKellar Group
Despite decades in the mining services and equipment business, MacKellar had only been involved in operating one other mine before Carmichael: the Callide Mine, which is located about two hours south of Rockhampton.
Carmichael workers have told SBS News MacKellar's attempts to keep up with Adani's ballooning production quotas have led to corner-cutting across the worksite, with safety protocols being rushed, sidelined or, at times, totally ignored.
"Bravus are push, push, push — and MacKellar in turn, push, push, push," Matt*, a grader operator said.
"It starts at the top: management is pushing the superintendents, the superintendents are pushing the supervisors, the supervisors are pushing the workers."
'A disaster zone'
Carmichael workers have told SBS News that MacKellar Group's efforts to meet Adani's escalating production targets have resulted in corners being cut across the worksite. Source: Supplied
Workers say it's sometimes unclear where they're supposed to go: the layout changes frequently as MacKellar's surveyors and geologists look for the fastest way to reach coal.
"A lot of the time, the pit is in an absolute mess," Blake*, a wash plant worker said.
"Nobody knows where they are going half the time because it's just a rabbit warren."
Another grader operator, Nick*, said: "They [MacKellar] can't stick to a weekly dig plan or a daily dig plan. No-one knows what they're doing because it's constantly getting changed."
Carmichael is an open-cut thermal coal mine, which means its coal is extracted from coal seams — layers of coal that build up over time in the Earth's crust — accessible once the topsoil is removed and underground rock is blasted.
Its coal seam sits within an aquifer (a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater), which requires constant draining to enable coal extraction. According to workers the bottom of the pit often becomes waterlogged and unstable, and so vehicles regularly get bogged. Digger operator Sean* told SBS News one of the diggers even toppled over in the mud.
"They had to get the paramedic guys to come down and retrieve the operator off the machine. It was laying over that much," he said.
"It took a full day to work out what to do to get the machine upright and safely out."
A MacKellar light vehicle backs over a bund on 10 September 2024. Source: Supplied
"We have a lot of slides. You might get one every couple of swings (each swing is a week), which is quite high compared to other places," Nick said.
"It's only a matter of time that we'll end up with a truck over the high wall."
All these risk factors increase the likelihood of collisions. According to workers, there have been at least two incidents in which mining light vehicles were crushed by larger vehicles: one by a dozer and the other by a truck. In both cases, the light vehicles were parked and unoccupied, but the operators of the larger vehicles were unable to see them due to blind spots.
Workers have expressed concern that such 'metal-on-metal incidents' have become far too common at the mine.
"The way the infrastructure has been set up puts people in harm," Blake said.
"We're still driving light vehicles on haul roads — I haven't seen that in nearly 10 years. [In] most places, there are light vehicle roads on the side of the haul roads to keep the interaction away from each other."
You can't have heavy machinery and light vehicles mixing with each other, it's a disaster zone.Blake*, wash plant worker
Some workers have expressed concern that 'metal-on-metal incidents' have become far too common at the Carmichael mine. Source: Supplied / Jessu Cleland
Accidents, injuries and collisions
Workers say incidents and injuries at the mine are happening at alarming rates. Leslie*, a former production technician, told SBS News the mine is averaging "at least two incidents a week".
Nick said: "Compared to other mines, we have a lot more — probably another 50 per cent more incidents a week."
SBS News sought to verify incident and injury rates at the mine via Bravus, MacKellar and RSHQ. All declined to provide specific numbers.
Workers have told SBS News the roads in and around the pit are also prone to buckling under heavy machinery. Workers have described roads breaking apart underneath them while driving fully loaded haul trucks.
"The bumps out there ain't small; you could lose a light vehicle in them," Matt said.
I will not go down the pit. [If] I get put down in the pit, I'm on the next flight out; I'm not staying. I get anxiety just going near that pit.Jen*, haul truck operator
Without enough machinery or rocky material to properly construct roads or carry out repairs, truck operators say they often get thrown around while trying to navigate the terrain. In some cases, this has led to neck and back injuries.
"Imagine putting a heavy truck on a trampoline and that's what it's like — very, very rough," Nick said.
Truck operators say they often get thrown around while trying to navigate the terrain. Source: Supplied
"I've even had a back injury down there one time. I had a bit of nerve damage in my lower back. Took about five months to fully heal," he said.
"All of us guys, the little soldier ants, we're the ones f—king copping it."
Former safety adviser Trent Batley, who worked at the mine for 10 months between 2021 and 2022, attests to the reportedly high rate of injury. He said since the mine commenced operations, there have been "hundreds and hundreds of people that were injured".
"There's degeneration of somebody's spine and back [or] lower back. That stuff doesn't go away."
Injury and incident-related data is not publicly available for Carmichael mine. The lack of public data about mining incidents also makes it difficult to verify the workers' belief that injuries are more frequent at Carmichael than at other mines.
SBS News sought to verify workers' claims about the rates of injury with MacKellar, but the mining operator did not address specific enquiries.
Former safety adviser Trent Batley, who worked at the mine for 10 months, attests to the reportedly high injury rate. Source: Supplied / Jessu Cleland
In its initial response dated 11 October 2024, RSHQ noted there were 875 pages worth of serious accident reports — accidents resulting in hospital admission or fatality — reported at Carmichael mine between 1 April 2019 and 16 September 2024 and 2,006 pages detailing high potential incidents reported over the same period.
While the regulator could not confirm the number of incidents reported, a spokesperson said Carmichael's incident rate is "broadly consistent with industry averages".
"Our number one priority at RSHQ is the safety and health of workers, so it's troubling to hear workers have concerns about incident reporting and their wellbeing on site," the spokesperson said.
"We strongly encourage workers to come forward to our RSHQ inspectors and make a confidential complaint. We investigate all complaints that are made to us."
Dust clouds
Multi-skilled operator Rowan* said dust levels are much higher at Carmichael than those of other mines he's worked at. Source: Supplied
Multi-skilled operator Rowan* said dust levels are much higher than those of other mines he's worked at.
"You come to a stop sign, especially in the afternoon when the sun comes down, and you have to wait 30 seconds for the dust to settle before you can even see anything. It's ridiculous."
On one such occasion in June 2023, Cleland decided the dust levels were too dangerous for him to keep driving his haul truck, but said his supervisors forced him to continue despite the risks.
Jessu Cleland recalls he once stopped his haul truck because the dust levels were too high for him to keep driving, but said his supervisors forced him to continue despite the risks. Source: SBS News / Chris Phillips
"Then the production superintendent and one of the senior supervisors [came] and confronted me. They said, 'Jessu, get your stuff and get back in your truck'. He asked me three times, 'Are you refusing to operate your truck?'"
Cleland said he tried to reason with the superintendent, quoting safety standards from the Queensland Coal Mining Safety and Health Act.
"I said, 'No, I'm not refusing; I feel unsafe … If you feel unsafe, you've got the right to pull up', and he asked me again, 'Are you refusing?' So I knew what he was getting at," he said.
"What he wanted me to say is, 'Yeah, I'm not going to go drive the truck' … I'm quite sure he would have [taken] me to the front gate and probably sacked me.
"So I said, 'I'll go back out there and operate the truck under duress, and I'll note all this,' and he said, 'Yeah, you go ahead and do that'."
Jessu Cleland shows a photo of the dust-filled mechanic's workshop at Carmichael. Source: SBS News / Chris Phillips
Rowan explains: "They work under these igloos — it's just two containers with a tarp over the top — and they just get covered in dust, all day, every day. Those mechanics will be breathing that in for 12 hours."
According to the Lung Foundation Australia, prolonged exposure to coal dust can lead to lung diseases such as silicosis or pneumoconiosis — commonly known as black lung.
"One of the biggest killers of coal miners at the moment is a black lung disease, and we're copping it [dust] day in, day out because they cannot control the dust," Matt said.
In case of emergency
While Bravus did not respond to specific questions about safety risks and emergency procedures, a spokesperson for the company told SBS News it "actively" tracks its safety performance.
"If a safety risk is identified, we take active measures to eliminate or minimise it by changing work procedures, equipment or adopting new technology," the spokesperson said.
"We have a zero-fatality record and that is not something we will ever take for granted because making sure our people go home safely to their families is our number one priority."
Plume from a mine blast at Carmichael mine, dated 6 October 2022. The orange blast fumes are highly toxic. Source: Supplied
One mine serviceman, Vinnie*, recalls an incident with a digger in early 2024.
"There was a low call over the main channel, 'Digger 2's got a fire,'" he told SBS News.
"From when I heard the transmission, it was at least 10 or 12 minutes before the emergency tone came across and everyone was still working; the digger was still swinging; the trucks were still moving."
Emergency response procedures are managed by the mine's security team, which is stationed at Carmichael's accommodation site, the Labona Camp. It's located five minutes from the mine site by car, which workers say adds to delays.
"They do a dual job, based at the camp, not the mine," Leslie said.
"The security guys might be out checking the bore field security, but it takes 20-30 minutes to come back from the bore fields … to assemble for ERT [emergency response team], so the response time, I don't feel is acceptable."
Michael Miller agrees: "They should be closer … that could be the difference between life and death."
Carmichael coal mine is situated in a remote part of central-east Queensland — the nearest medical centre is 2.5 hours away by car.
There are no aircraft on-site, meaning emergency medical evacuations depend on the availability of a helicopter from the Queensland Emergency Helicopter Network or a plane from the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Without aircraft, injured workers have to wait for an ambulance to arrive from the nearest town, Clermont, which is 160km away.
About half of that drive is on the incomplete Mine Access Road, which regularly floods in summer and is subject to ongoing court proceedings brought by the Isaac Regional Council against Adani Mining Pty Ltd — the mining giant's registered business name — for allegedly failing to complete construction of the 96km stretch as agreed.
In a statement released earlier this month, Bravus said it was "disappointed" with the council's decision to pursue a civil dispute in the Supreme Court, noting: "We cannot legally work on the Mine Access Road without permits from council, which have been withheld."
Former production technician Leslie told SBS News she "nearly died" after falling ill while working at Carmichael and struggling to access medical help.
She said it took nine hours to reach the nearest hospital, which had no doctor on site. She was then reportedly transported to another hospital for scans before it was decided she needed to be airlifted to a major city for treatment.
Leslie said a plane couldn't be arranged until the following evening.
"It took me two days to get to a hospital and on the operating table. By that stage, they couldn't operate because I was septic — I had septicemia," she said.
If you have something bad out there, don't expect to get to a hospital anytime soon … be prepared to die out there.Leslie*, former production technician
New to industry
Aside from the risks at the mine site, workers SBS News spoke with said they are also fed up with conditions at the workers' camp. Many have complained about unhygienic food, water and living conditions, which they say are leading to regular bouts of sickness, particularly gastroenteritis.
Along with frustrations over the reliability of flights to and from the mine — the reason most workers say they took the job — the working conditions at the mine have prompted many to resign.
"Our turnover rate is just phenomenal," Nick said.
"We're constantly losing people every week, probably half a dozen. We've had 10 people leave in one week."
Workers say vacancies have become chronic at Carmichael, with some crews regularly operating 20 or 30 people short.
"Our crew has changed five times over. There's about 40 or 50 people on our crew, and it's changed over completely," Nick said.
In addition to frustrations over the reliability of flights to and from the mine, the working conditions have led many to resign. Source: SBS News / Kim Paul Nguyen
Workers and union officials have told SBS News that other mines — such as those run by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, including Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow and Peak Downs — typically offer around 100-400 hours of training to NTIs.
At Carmichael, however, the pressure to meet production targets set by Bravus and its parent company, Adani Group, has reportedly led to cutbacks on training time. Workers say NTIs are being fast-tracked into production roles as soon as possible — with some sent out to operate alone after just three days (or 36 hours) of training. (Carmichael workers typically work 12-hour shifts.)
"Out here is the only mine site I've ever worked at or even know about that an NTI gets a job and gets straight on them big machines," Matt said.
"You're driving a house, literally. They're running over bunds, could be anything under there."
At Carmichael, workers say the pressure to meet production targets has reportedly resulted in reduced training time for new recruits. Source: SBS News / Kim Paul Nguyen
SBS News sought to verify the workers' comments about MacKellar's use of NTIs, including the low hours of training, the high numbers of NTIs, and worker concerns about the potential for accidents, but the company declined to answer specific questions.
Several trainers at Carmichael are now refusing to do the role, telling SBS News they've seen MacKellar management pressure trainers to sign off on new recruits despite their training being incomplete.
Several former employees we spoke to said they'd resigned to avoid being held responsible if one of the fast-tracked NTIs ended up causing a serious accident. SBS News understands there has not yet been a serious accident — for example, occasioning death — involving an NTI reported at Carmichael.
"Training [at Carmichael] was just about pumping people out as quickly as possible," former safety adviser Trent Batley said.
"The fact was there was push from production to get 'bums on seats'. If there were trucks parked up [empty], they [management] wanted people 'passed out' [their training signed off] as quick as possible."
Piles of 'overburden' at Carmichael Coal Mine. Source: Supplied
"They just wanted them passed out. I pretty much said I don't want to be a part of it because someone is going to get killed."
Allegations of under-reporting
All of the current and former Carmichael workers who have given testimonies to SBS News have described a culture of under-reporting at the mine, driven by fear of reprisal.
"People won't report things because they know they'll be treated like shit and threatened," digger operator Sean* said.
"So much sh-t gets covered up out there."
The Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999 mandates mine operators, such as MacKellar, must immediately report incidents that have the potential to cause serious harm or death, known as 'high potential incidents' (HPI), to RSHQ and an industry safety and health representative (ISHR) employed by MEU.
A table graphic listing the types of high potential incidents and serious accidents that are mandatory to report in Queensland. Source: SBS News
Although the Act prevents him from sharing specific examples, he said: "People come to me about being threatened through reporting."
A number of the workers SBS News spoke to allege management has failed to record or address safety hazards as required by the Act, downgraded the risk categories on incident reports or under-reported HPIs to RSHQ.
SBS News understands there are at least 10 workers who have complained directly to RSHQ, and that those complaints have been investigated, with one still pending. A spokesperson for the regulator wouldn't comment on individual cases but confirmed its records show HPIs and serious accidents are on par with other mines.
"The complaints process at Resources Safety and Health Queensland is confidential and so the more information we're given, the more we can achieve during the investigation," the spokesperson said.
"Reporting incidents is also critical to learning from them and finding their causes, which can prevent a repeat.
"That is why our reporting systems and policies on publishing incident information are aimed at encouraging honest and fulsome reporting, rather than naming and shaming mines for reporting."
A table graphic listing the mandatory reporting requirements for high-potential incidents and serious accidents in Queensland. Source: SBS News
"I actually was spoken to by the supervisor one day because he said 'Your hazard report on this one is too high, I've got to take it to the SSE [Site Senior Executive]'," she recalls.
"And I went, 'Well, take it to the SSE'. But it never went to the SSE; it got filed in the bin. Because you get an email back saying it's been actioned, been looked at, and no, I never got anything."
After four years at the mine, Cleland lost his job in March 2024. He'd recorded a video with his phone of a leaking fuel tank, which he said had been leaking for months, and sent it to the MEU.
"It's a safety hazard [and] an environmental breach — it'd been an ongoing thing since December last year, approximately," Cleland said.
"Everyone wrote it in the pre-starts [meetings at the start of a shift]. It was always questioned, but they would never fix it. As long as the truck was out there still moving dirt or coal, they would not fix it."
That's the footage that I took and sent to [the MEU] and so they terminated me for sending it to a third party.Jessu Cleland, former worker
SBS News has sighted Jessu Cleland's termination letter. Source: SBS News / Chris Phillips
'Something bad happening'
Trent Batley, who says that in early 2022, he was the only safety adviser remaining at the mine, ultimately decided to leave because he felt the risk levels at the mine had become so high.
"By the time I finished with MacKellar … there were no other safety advisers — they'd all left. So I was the only person out there across two crews trying to cover their incident reports and do the job," he said.
"Probably the glaring issue out of all of it was the fact that I could see something bad happening, like somebody f—kin' getting killed or something out there, and I was like, 'Oh well, I don't need a body on my record'."
As part of this investigation, SBS News has submitted two RTI requests to RSHQ, seeking access to incident reports at Carmichael since it began operating in April 2019. Both requests were rejected on the grounds that the work involved would "substantially and unreasonably divert the department's resources". The second remains pending following a resubmission.
Shane Brunker, the MEU representative responsible for Carmichael, says the union is well aware of the breadth of serious worker concerns and has tried to engage with both Bravus and MacKellar to address them, but with little to no success. Since 2019, Bravus has only met with the union once and is refusing to engage with them.
"[Workers] are feeling like they have been let down, which leads to more psychosocial issues," Shane Brunker (pictured), district vice president at Mining & Energy Union (MEU), said. Source: SBS News / Kim Paul Nguyen
"It's also extremely disappointing to see union leadership try to drive a wedge between workers and their employer when everyone else at Carmichael puts so much effort into making it a community that is safe and where people are respected and valued."
MacKellar did not respond to SBS News' specific questions, instead deferring to Bravus.
Meanwhile, the Carmichael coal mine is continuing its rapid expansion. If it fulfils the Adani Group's ambition to reach 15 million metric tonnes of coal production a year, Carmichael will become the fourth-largest coal mine in the country.
For workers like Cleland, its expansion has come at a high price.
"They need to be really exposed because they're ruthless.
"The way they treat people out there is disgusting. They give mining a bad name."
*names have been changed.
