Weekly incident summary - week ending 4 June 2021
38 reportable incidents, 3 summarised below
|
|
Dangerous incident | IncNot0039992
Underground coal mine
|
|
|
Summary: A continuous miner driver was standing at the start of a breakaway. The roof had been bolted, but not meshed. A piece of bratt (coal tops), approximately one metre by one metre by 80 millimetres thick, fell directly onto the miner driver. The bratt broke off from between the roof bolts. The worker sustained soft tissue injuries.
|
|
Comments to industry: The risk of falling bratt was not identified and the absence of suitable restraint meant that the risk was not adequately controlled. When developing extraction plans mines should consider:
- support plans that address the risks to workers associated with unconstrained roof material (coal tops and delaminated material)
- extraction plans that include the removal of coal tops and/or delaminated roof material.
|
|
Dangerous incident| IncNot0040010
Underground metals mine
|
|
|
Summary: A loader has driven into a partially filled stope, dropping in at an angle of about 45 degrees. A rolling bund was not in place at the time of the incident. The operator sustained no injuries.
|
|
|
Comments to industry: Mine operators need to ensure that risk controls are implemented and remain effective to prevent mobile plant from falling into stopes.
|
|
Dangerous incident | IncNot0040022
Open cut coal mine
|
|
|
Summary: A dozer was working below a highwall when a large rock dislodged and fell about 25 to 30 metres from the top of the highwall and struck the cab of the dozer. The rock shattered on impact, denting the cab and dislodging a pane of glass. The operator was not injured.
|
|
Comments to industry: An assessment of the integrity of the highwall must be conducted prior to commencing work beneath the highwall. Consideration should be given to:
- removal of loose or overhanging rocks
- the effects of prevailing weather conditions
- a process for communicating high wall conditions to workers, including the presence of loose or overhanging rocks that cannot be removed.
|
|
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)
Publication: MSHA
Mine fatality (preliminary report) – On 2 June 2021, a section foreman (deputy) at an underground coal mine was fatally injured while installing a rib bolt. He was using a rib drill on the full-face continuous mining machine when the corner of the mine rib sheared off and pinned him against the mining machine. The piece of rib that struck the worker consisted of rock and coal, and measured approximately six feet wide, four and a half feet high, and two feet thick.
Details
International (other, non-fatal)
Publication: MinEx NZ
Contact between excavator and dump truck
Light from the sunrise impaired an excavator driver’s vision while he was loading, he slew the bucket and contacted the tray of a dump truck. The contact caused the truck driver to hit his head on the side of the cab, requiring him to go to hospital.
Details
National (other, non-fatal)
Publication: Resources Safety and Health Queensland (Coal)
Dragline boom point sheaves falls to the ground – Safety Alert #391
A mine worker was operating a dragline and in the process of slewing with a full bucket (in preparation to dump onto spoil). The worker heard a loud noise and shortly afterwards the bucket fell to the ground along with a portion of the snapped hoist ropes, followed closely by the boom point sheave assembly.
Details
Publication: Resources Safety and Health Queensland (Coal)
Building failures during severe weather events – Safety Bulletin #195
Recently several coal mines experienced severe weather events characterised by very high wind gusts, hail, and heavy rain. The storms approached sites rapidly with the time between triggering the Yellow TARP and the Red TARP at one mine being less than 75 minutes. These weather events have resulted in severe damage to facilities, buildings and structures at three mines.
Details
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
