Staff from a tree maintenance company needed angle grinders to get into work after the business was caught in the middle of an anti-Adani protest.
On Monday Frontline Action on Coal supporters locked the gates at ETS Group work sites across Australia, claiming the company had taken on a contract to clear land for Adani's controversial Carmichael mine.
ETS Group spokesman Paul Tymensen said the company had no such contract in place and had unfortunately been caught in the middle of the spat.
Formerly known as Eastern Tree Services, ETS said it was doing fire hazard work for Adani subsidiary Abbott Point Operations, north of Bowen.
However, the company said this work was nothing like the tree clearing that FLAC had described.
"We have been engaged by Abbot Point Operations to carry out routine maintenance on an existing firebreak along the fence lines at the terminal – which is about 25km north of Bowen in Far North Queensland," the company said in a statement.
"This is a small job that makes the coal terminal safe from the threat of fire."
Frontline Action on Coal said ETS had accepted a contract to clear the rail corridor from Adani's proposed Carmichael mine to link in with existing lines travelling to Abbott Point.
In protest, the FLAC group said it had locked staff out of five ETS work sites and blocked trucks at a further two sites.
Supporters of the action carried “Get out of bed with Adani” signs.
ETS spokesman Paul Tymensen said the company's work at Abbott Point was a one off.
He also said the company was not in any sort of negotiation to do the kind of work claimed by FLAC.
An Adani spokeswoman said the protest action was based on "incorrect information".
"Had the group checked its facts, it would have found that the business which it caused disruption to today is not a contractor for the Carmichael project.
“We recognise there are varied opinions about the Carmichael project, but when groups such as this disrupt private businesses, impacting employees and their families based on incorrect information, they should be held accountable."
Adani recently announced it was forging ahead with its controversial Carmichael coal mine, dashing lingering uncertainty by confirming it would foot all project bills itself.
The project has been held up by concerns about the management of groundwater at the mine, as well as conservation plans for the black-throated finch.
“Advice from CSIRO requires Adani to update the [Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan,” the state Department of Environment and Science said in December.
“DES will not continue to assess the [management plan] until an updated version is submitted.
“The Queensland Government takes environmental protections very seriously, and will consider the advice of the DEE, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia when assessing the plans.”