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All the latest in mine health and safety in NSW
Weekly incident summary
To report an incident or injury call 1300814609
Weekly incident summary - week ending 29 April 2022
29 reportable incidents, 2 summarised below

Dangerous incident | IncNot0042055

Open cut coal mine
Summary: An access ladder on a grader began to retract while the operator was climbing to the cabin. The cabin door was open and the operator had turned the battery isolator to the on position. The ladder retracted until it became jammed under the open cabin door.
The operator was not injured.
Comments to industry: Mine operators should regularly test and inspect moveable access systems in order to verify their correct operation. The frequency of test and inspections must be relative to the frequency of use and hazards associated with unintended activation. Secondary protective devices must be considered in order to reduce pinch points in the event of unintended activation.

Dangerous incident | IncNot0042051

Underground metals mine
Ground or strata failure 
Summary: A fall of ground occurred when corroded roof bolts failed. The fall of material was estimated to be 1.5 tonnes. Nobody was in the area at the time.
Comments to industry: Underground mine operators should review the adequacy of support that was installed historically under different support regimes. The review should check that the age of installed support is taken into account and that the support continues to be effective.
Refer to:
Fall of ground risks at NSW underground metalliferous mines

Other publications of interest

These incidents are included for your review. The NSW Resources Regulator does not endorse the findings or recommendations of these incidents. It is your legal duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the business complies with its work health and safety obligations.
International (fatal)
US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
On 26 January 2022, a dump truck rolled backward onto a 54-year-old miner while the miner was attempting to troubleshoot a brake issue. The dump truck operator was unaware that the miner was under the truck when he released the parking brake, allowing the dump truck to roll backward. This is the fifth fatality reported in 2022, and the first classified as ‘powered haulage’. Best practices include blocking machinery against hazardous motion before performing repairs or maintenance and communicating with mobile equipment operators.
Details
National (other, non-fatal)
Safework NSW
Worksites across NSW will be safer following the launch of a new Scaffolding Industry Safety Standard, which provides a clear guide to preventing scaffolding-related injuries and deaths. The Safety Standard details practical management tools for principal contractors, scaffolders, engineers, and other parties involved in scaffolding work, ensuring best practice for the scaffolding industry. Minister for Fair Trading Eleni Petinos said the new standard was a critical step to ensuring everyone's safety in the workplace. "The Scaffolding Industry Safety Standard is an essential and comprehensive resource that provides practical guidance for those undertaking scaffolding work," Ms Petinos said.
Details

Resources Safety and Health Queensland
A winch line counterweight became snagged during rig-up operations, causing the steel wire rope to break. The counterweight dropped to the rig floor, resting near the Derrickman. No persons were injured, however, the 5.7 kg counterweight landed less than one metre from a rig worker. The rig crew was observing and monitoring the risk of the Bullhorn becoming entangled as the mast was raised. While raising the mast and observing other known risks, they did not observe the sand line counterweight was caught until the wire rope failed under tension. The critical control in this incident was the wire rope which failed when the counterweight was caught during the raising of the mast.
Details

Resources Safety and Health Queensland
The Queensland Mineral Mines and Quarries Inspectorate has released its quarterly report for January to March 2022. This report has information about significant safety incidents that have occurred recently in the sector as well as statistical overviews of activity and trends. This information should be used by sites to improve safety awareness and outcomes.
Details
 
ISR22-17 | Go to the website

 

You can find all our guidance and incident related publications (that is, safety alerts, safety bulletins, incident information releases, weekly incident summaries and investigation reports) on our website: resourcesregulator.nsw.gov.au
*While the majority of incidents are reported and recorded within a week of the event, some are notified outside this time period. The incidents in this report therefore have not necessarily occurred in a one week period. All newly recorded incidents, whatever the incident date, are reviewed by the Chief Inspector and senior staff each week and summarised in this report. For more comprehensive statistical data refer to our Safety Performance Measures Reports and our Business Activity Reports.
 
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