All the latest in mine health and safety in NSW

36 Reportable incidents - 4 summarised incidents in this edition

Weekly incident summary - week ending 31 July 2020
36 reportable incidents, 4 summarised below

Dangerous incident | IncNot0037860

Underground metals
Principal mining hazard: roads or other vehicle operating areas

Summary: A loaded articulated haul truck rolled over while going around a corner. The truck had been parked up in the workshop while the operator was on a crib break. Following the crib break, the driver and a passenger (bogger operator) were returning to work in the truck, when the trailer body rolled over while going around a corner. The cabin remained upright and nobody was injured. Speed is being considered as a contributing factor. The investigation is ongoing.

Comments to industry: The stability of articulated vehicles is a known risk that needs to be managed by mines. Consideration should be given to factors such as (but not limited to):

speed of operation
operating grades
uneven surfaces (holes, rocks, foreign material)
tipping of loads
hang-up of loads
movement of loads.

The risks associated with the rollover of mobile plant was the subject of our compliance priority program in 2018. Refer to the following outcome report for more information: Articulated truck rollovers and falls from mobile plant

Dangerous incident | IncNot0037853

Open cut metals
Principal mining hazard: ground or strata

Summary: A small void (600 x 800 millimetres) opened up in the cap material that runs along an old previously mined stope. Grade control drilling was being conducted about four metres from the void and it is believed the vibrations from the drilling caused the void to slowly open up. Nobody was in the vicinity of the void at the time and it was monitored from the time it had started to open.

Comments to industry: Mines are required to have a Principal Hazard Management Plan for ground or strata failure and to ensure that the plan is implemented as designed.
The stability of back fill material and old workings must be considered during open cut mining around old workings.
A system to update the incoming shift supervisor of TARP risk changes, active TARPs and geotechnical hazards should be in place so that relevant information can be relayed to all workers.

Dangerous incident | IncNot0037889

Open cut industrial minerals
Principal mining hazard: roads or other vehicle operating areas

Summary: A dump trunk carting rocks to a run-of-mine (ROM) pad reversed onto a rock pile from a previous tip, causing the tub of the truck to overturn. The cabin remained upright.

Comments to industry: See comments for earlier overturned trailer incident in this publication.

Dangerous incident | IncNot0037847

Underground coal
Principal mining hazard: ground or strata

Summary: A coal burst occurred at a longwall mining operation. No gas was released.
The longwall was operating in full remote mode, due to TARP requirements with the presence of a dyke on the Longwall face, increasing the risk of coal burst.
The coal burst was identified when an e-stop was activated on a shield causing the shearer to stop. The crew reviewed video recorded at the time of the incident and saw the coal being ejected.

Comments to industry: This incident highlights the importance of implementing controls, such as remote mining operations, when the potential for coal burst has been identified.
The careful evaluation of factors known to be associated with coal bursts was a key aspect of this operation activating controls to eliminate the risk to workers from an identified principal hazard.

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 (other, non-fatal)

Publication: MinEx NZ
Drill rods fall from underground strata
A loader was reversing from the face in an underground operation when diamond drill rods dropped rapidly from the last row of ground support (3.5 metres from face) and struck the face.
Details

National (other, non-fatal)

Publication: Mineral Mines and Quarries Inspectorate (Qld.)
Worker entangled in conveyor tail drum (Significant Incident Report no.82)
On Tuesday 19 May 2020, a worker was seriously injured at a quarry when his left arm became entangled in the rotating tail drum of a conveyor belt. Prior to the accident, the conveyor had been stopped to enable the clearing of rock spillage from the tail drum area. The injured worker was attempting to clear rock from the nip point where the return side of the belt meets the tail drum, when the conveyor was briefly energised (jogged) by another worker from the plant switchboard located some distance away. The conveyor belt was cut in order to free the injured worker.
Details

Publication: Mineral Mines and Quarries Inspectorate (Qld.)
Incident Periodical (June) - Mineral Mines and Quarries Inspectorate
Details

Publication: Coal Mines Inspectorate (Qld.)
Incident Periodical (June) - Coal Mines Inspectorate
Details

ISR20-31 | Go to 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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