Allison Hume spent hours down the shaft at Barrwood Gate, Galston, Ayrshire, before being lifted out.

She had been in the pit for around two hours before firefighters came - but it was another five to six hours before she surfaced, a previous inquiry found.

The 44-year-old had suffered "survivable" injuries but developed hypothermia, had a heart attack and died in hospital after being trapped for around eight hours in July 2008, a fatal accident inquiry by Sheriff Desmond Leslie found.

This month First Minister Alex Salmond announced that the Chief Fire Inspectorate would be asked to look into the operational procedures of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue.

The Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Authorities, Steven Torrie, will carry out the probe, which will examine whether appropriate steps have been taken to minimise the chance of such a tragedy recurring.

Sheriff Leslie highlighted several "defects" in the systems of working, which contributed to Mrs Hume's death.

He noted that firefighters at the scene had been anxious to rescue her as quickly as possible but were prevented from doing so by superiors who showed "rigid compliance" with official procedures.

The new inquiry will consider whether the policies, procedures and practices adequately address the issues raised in Sheriff Leslie's report.

It will also consider whether the sheriff's findings have implications for fire and rescue services across Scotland.

In addition the inquiry, due to report its findings to Holyrood ministers by the next April, will consider whether any actions should be recommended to Scotland's eight fire and rescue services, and the proposed new single fire service.