Perched on the edge of a 45-degree slope and with a trail of churned ground behind it, the excavator’s bucket hangs in midair over a steep drop to a road below.

A statement issued yesterday by NSW police provided further information on the tragedy, with police saying the 25-year-old Raymond Terrace man died after the excavator ‘‘rolled, crushing the cabin and trapping’’ him.

Although Mr Messenger was killed on Tuesday morning, it took until Thursday evening for the excavator to be lifted to retrieve his body.

Hunter Quarries director Hilton Grugeon – who made a brief return to the ICAC witness box on Friday over electoral donations – again insisted that the retrieval had been botched.

His co-director, Grahame Chevalley, said he also believed things should have not taken so long, saying a specialist Newcastle company  brought to the site by Hunter Quarries was adamant it could have done the job in four or five hours.

The police said the challenging terrain meant a 350-tonne crane was needed to raise the excavator.

A government spokesperson justified the actions of mine inspectors and investigators, saying ‘‘we didn’t want the retrieval to become a second fatality’’.

The police said an autopsy would be done and a report prepared for the coroner.

‘‘Investigations by the mine safety investigations unit of the NSW Division of Resources and Energy are under way,’’  police said.

Mr Chevalley said that after a gathering at Karuah Bowling Club to talk things through, the employees had decided they wanted to return to work on Monday.

A state government spokesperson said the immediate area of the quarry where the excavator toppled over was still off-limits but there were no other restrictions on the business.