The Royal Commission into the Pike River mine disaster has been told of the dysfunction and mistrust at the mine.
The Commission heard on Monday from mining consultant David Stewart, who carried out an audit of Pike River Coal six months before the first explosion on 19 November last year. Twenty nine men died.
The audit highlighted a range of issues including poor communication between shifts, the lack of a suitable second exit, and the absence of any gas monitoring system in the mine.
Mr Stewart said the lack of an underground monitoring system meant the company had no idea what the methane concentrations were in the general body of the mine.
He said when he finished his audit his three main concerns were the problems with the ventilation systems, the gas monitoring, and maintenance issues.
Mr Stewart said there is underlying suspicion and mistrust of management at almost every mine.
But he said the level of dysfunction and mistrust was greater at Pike River than at any mine he had worked at. He said he wasn't surprised by this because of the large amount of pressure on the mine and the company and the high turnover of management and technical staff.
Despite his concerns, Mr Stewart said he had been confident the problems would be addressed.
