Weekly incident summary - week ending 5 February 2021
43 reportable incidents, 4 summarised below
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0039128
Underground metal mine
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Summary: A 10-metre high, four-metre diameter water clarifier tank at a paste fill plant buckled.
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Comments to industry: The cause of this incident is yet to be determined. Further information may be published at a later date. Mine operators need to operate and maintain tanks to meet OEM recommendations. Mine operators should also be aware of the dangers associated with excessive build-up of solids in tanks.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0039131
Underground coal mine
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Summary: A worker was blasted in the face by compressed air while attempting to extend a two inch air line. The worker was connecting a pipe to a manifold that was being held by a second worker. The second worker unintentionally hit the ball valve, which allowed the compressed air to escape. The injured worker was hospitalised with facial injuries
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Comments to industry: Unfixed pressurised hoses should not be worked on without isolating the energy source and dissipating any stored energy. Operators should consider using gate valves in place of ball valves to isolate air flow.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0039161
Open cut coal mine
Principal mining hazard: Ground or strata failure
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Summary: A dump truck has dropped about one to two metres when the dump wall failed as the operator was tipping a load.
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Comments to industry: Mine operators must have safe systems of work in place to inspect dumps. These inspections must consider weathering effects, ground water and conditions that affect the dump wall stability. Refer to: Safety Bulletin SB20-01 Failure of highwalls, low walls and dumps.
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Severe incident | IncNot0039162
Underground metal mine
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Summary: A shuttle car driver sustained extensive injuries when he was pinned between the rib and the boom of a continuous miner. The driver was assisting the continuous miner operator with bolting. When completed, the shuttle car driver activated the radio mode handle from bolting mode to flit mode. The continuous miner operator has then reversed approximately one metre trapping the shuttle car driver.
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Comments to industry: This matter is under investigation and an information release will be published shortly. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of establishing and maintaining no-go zones. The implementation of engineering controls to assist in maintaining no go zones must be considered during any risk assessment process. Mine operators, supervisors and workers all have a role to play in ensuring no-go-zones are in place and adhered to in all circumstances.
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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
On 19 January 19 2021, a mine worker backed a haul truck to the edge of a dump point that was over steepened by a loader removing material at the bottom of the slope. When the edge of the bank failed, the haul truck travelled backwards and overturned, landing on the roof of the cab. The worker was fatally injured.
Details
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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: resourcesregulator.nsw.gov.au
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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 Safety Performance Measures Reports and our Business Activity Reports
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