RE: RE: RE: Mr. Ellis VP Operations 2guys may be stating the truth. He may not. It's impossible to know on an anonymous web board. That is why I would put far more faith into a public inquiry. Its purpose was not to not name any person specifically as being responsible for the Pike Rive disaster. But I would suggest reading it. Note that Mr. Ellis came on board with Pike River in August 2010.
Here are direct quotes I've bolded parts that I believe relate to Management including Mr. Ellis:
https://pikeriver.royalcommission.govt.nz/Volume-One---What-Happened-at-Pike-River
"At the time of the explosion the management team at Pike River comprised Peter Whittall, chief executive officer; Douglas White, site general manager; Stephen Ellis, production manager; and seven department managers.... Mr Ellis was to become the next mine manager as soon as he acquired the required New Zealand qualification. "
"Executive management, Messrs Ward, Whittall and White, was focused on hydro coal production, as was the board. Associated risks were not properly assessed. At the executive manager level there was a culture of production before safety at Pike River and as a result signs of the risk of an explosion were either not noticed or not responded to."
"Effective methane management is essential in an underground coal mine. Undoubtedly there was a failure to control methane at Pike River on 19 November 2010."
"Some major themes became evident in the course of the inquiry:
This was a process safety accident, being an unintended escape of methane followed by an explosion in the mine. It occurred during a drive to achieve coal production in a mine with leadership, operational systems and cultural problems.
Such problems coincided with inadequate oversight of the mine by a health and safety regulator that lacked focus, resourcing and inspection capacity.
The legal framework for health and safety in underground mining is deficient.
Those involved in the search and rescue were very committed, but the operation suffered from an absence of advance planning for a coal mine emergency and from a failure to properly implement the principles of the New Zealand co-ordinated incident management system (CIMS).
The families of the 29 men received generous community support, but would have benefited from better communications during the search, rescue and recovery phases."
"Whether an accident occurs depends on how the company responds to the challenges and the quality of its health and safety management."
"development delays and the consequent need for cash flow led to the need for a quick solution."