One of the men who installed the initial seal at Pike River Mine is questioning Solid Energy's decision to proceed with the permanent seal.

Solid Energy's board of directors released a two-page statement confirming work on the seal would be completed by the end of the month.

They say the decision to seal the mine was due to ongoing safety concerns around the site and anyone re-entering the mine.

However, former Mines Rescue Team brigadesman Harold Gibbens said conditions in the mine are better now than they were when the first seal was installed.

He said if it was alright for a team to put up the initial seal, it's alright for a team to explore the drift, and looking for the bodies wouldn't require a re-entry.

In a statement released yesterday, the board's directors said that almost pure methane is being released through the drift and the mine.

But Gibbens said that isn't a bad thing.

"At the moment, the mine's that enriched with methane that it is safe to enter to go up there and have a look. We've put seals up before in other Solid Energy mines, in the same 10 circumstances"

Gibbens said searching for bodies in the drift is similar to looking through a shipwreck underwater.

"What were talking about doing, is going up there, exploring the drift and returning. This would take only three hours to do, and it would be no different to a diver diving down into a wreck" he said.

Solid Energy's statement also states its risk assessment process around re-entering the mine was backed by Emeritus Professor Jim Galvin, from the University of New South Wales.

But Sonya Rockhouse, who lost son Ben in the blast, said they've got expert advice of their own.

She said they have a growing number of experts of the same stature coming out and disagreeing with Professor Galvin's remarks.