Weekly incident summary
10 August 2018 | ISR18-30 | Go to website
To report an incident call 1300 814 609 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Weeks ending 1 and 8 August 2018
High level summary of emerging trends and our recommendations to operators.
Reportable incidents total: 76
Summarised incidents: 7
This incident summary provides information on reportable incidents and safety advice for the NSW mining industry.
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Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01261
Summary: A haul truck hit a windrow after the operator claimed to have had a microsleep.
Recommendations to industry: When incidents occur and a microsleep is suspected, the mine must investigate and confirm that a microsleep has occurred and no other issue has contributed to the incident. If the microsleep is confirmed, the mine must comply with clause 11 Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation and review control measures including the mine’s fatigue management plan.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01255
Summary: Falling coal hit three workers while they were hanging rib mesh in an underground coal mine. One worker was knocked to the ground, another worker was hit on the elbow and a third worker suffered a strain injury.
Recommendations to industry: While installing support underground, workers must not place themselves in a position where they are under unsupported strata. The use of temporary strata support must be considered when developing job procedures.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01253
Summary: A fire broke out on a bulldozer at an open cut coal mine. It was operating at the dig face pit floor when the operator saw smoke coming from the engine bay area. The machine was shut down and the onboard fire suppression was manually activated. The operator used a hand-held fire extinguisher to extinguish the remaining flames.
Recommendations to industry: The Resources Regulator has developed and issued a discussion paper that considers strategies to reduce the incidence of fires on mobile plant in NSW mines. For more information click here.
Serious injury | SinNot 2018/01242
Summary: A contractor fell from the deck of a lowered scissor lift in a processing plant. The worker had unbolted the handrail and was manoeuvring the machine around steelwork. When the machine stopped, the handrail moved and in the process, the worker fell forward off the scissor lift. The contractor’s harness he was wearing wasnot attached to the machine.
Recommendations to industry: Operators must not modify safety devices fitted to plant without following mine procedures.
Mines must have systems in place to risk assess, control and manage changes required to safety devices.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01208
Summary: A truck driver suffered a broken tibia and knee cap when the haul truck he was driving collided with the rear of a stationary haul truck. A truck had stopped to give way to other vehicles at an intersection in accordance with site rules. As the second truck approached, it collided with the tray of the stationary truck. The stationary truck was pushed forward about 17 metres. The rear haul truck was substantially damaged and the site’s mines rescue team was required to extract the injured worker from the cab.
Recommendations to industry: An investigation has commenced and Investigation Information Release has been published.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01207
Summary: A detonator was identified as missing when the mining face was being loaded with explosives.
Recommendations to industry: Mines must have systems in place to manage the security of explosives during periods of storage, preparation and use. Explosives Regulation 2013 (clause 102) requires the notification for loss, theft or attempted theft of explosives or explosive precursors.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01205
Summary: A mining-induced seismic event reading 2.9 on the Richter scale impacted on an underground metalliferous mine. All workers retreated to refuge chambers and were evacuated to the surface once geotechnical inspections confirmed egress could occur safely. This was in accordance with the site procedures.
Recommendations to industry: Mines must identify all foreseeable scenarios when developing their emergency management plans. A determination of seismic risk should be completed during the development or review of the plan.
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Number of incident notifications, by commencement month and incident type
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Other safety publications of note
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Other safety publications of note
| Publication |
Issue / Topic |
| DNRME Qld in MinEx |
- A worker was cutting steel that was sticking out of a waste steel container, when the container suddenly caught fire. No one had checked the bin for flammable material before commencing the task.
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| DNRME Qld in MinEx |
- This safety alert has been issued following an increase in reported unplanned movement / loss of control incidents involving rubber tyred vehicles. Of particular concern is the increasing number of vehicles contacting centre dividers or safety berms and then rolling.
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| WA Mines Dept. |
- Safety considerations when switching to flammable refrigerants
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has become concerned following incidents involving flammable refrigerants. These have resulted in injury and damage to property within Western Australia and a fatality in New Zealand.
Details |
| WA Mines Dept. |
- Alert over falsified high risk licences
WorkSafe WA Commissioner and Deputy Director General Safety Regulation Group, Ian Munns said the department had recently been alerted to a licence that had been altered to include classes of high risk work for which the licence holder had not been trained.
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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: resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au/safety
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*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 Annual Performance Measures Reports.
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