Weekly incident summary - week ending 10 June 2022
35 reportable incidents, 5 summarised below
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0042315
Underground coal mine
Roads or other vehicle operating areas
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Summary: While tramming backwards and parallel to a bench edge, a dozer operator lost sight of the edge and slid off the bench.
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Comments to industry: Situational awareness is a key control when operating mobile equipment. Workers should be trained in the importance of this control and include it in their pre-task risk assessment. Ancillary systems such as GPS guidance, dispatch systems and two-way communication should only be used when it is safe to do so.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0042319
Underground metals mine
Roads or other vehicle operating areas
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Summary: A dozer was tramming backwards and travelled too close to a soft edge of the dump and slid off a bench.
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Comments to industry: Dozer incidents continue to be an issue on mine sites. When working near edges, operators should allow for failure of soft material when positioning their machines. Mine operators must ensure that the recommendations in the following safety bulletins are considered when developing plans for dozer operations.
Refer to:
Safety Bulletin SB19-01 Rise in dozer incidents putting operators at risk
Safety Bulletin SB19-10 Dozer incidents increase despite warnings
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0042330
Open cut coal mine
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Summary: A boilermaker suffered minor burns to their neck and ear and singed facial hair while carrying out hot work. The task involved cutting into a void, cutting out and rewelding a plug that had cracked. The boilermaker had completed all preparation and struck a test arc when an unknown substance ignited.
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Comments to industry: All hot work activities must identify and control all flammable substances in the immediate work area. Work areas must be adequately ventilated as well. A safety alert will be published regarding this incident.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0042345
Underground metals mine
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Summary: The body of an articulated dump truck overturned when the rear wheels rode up onto a previously tipped load. The operator had not raised the tub before it overturned.
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Comments to industry: The stability of articulated vehicles is a known risk that needs to be managed at mines. Factors that truck operators must consider include (but are 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
Refer to:
Safety Bulletin SB17-01 Industry reports more truck rollovers
Safety Bulletin SB18-07 Safe systems of work for mobile plant
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0042382
Underground coal mine
Airborne dust and other contaminants
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Summary: During routine dust sampling of a development crew, the deputy exceeded the occupational exposure limit for respirable quartz. At the time of sampling, the continuous miner was cutting 0.4-0.6m of stone.
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Comments to industry: When cutting stone, controls to manage airborne dust must be maintained to the site’s documented standards. This includes keeping ventilation tubes advanced to the face, tube length within design limits, maintaining picks and sprays, having dust curtains in place and workers positioned in safe locations.
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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.
National (other, non-fatal)
Resources Safety and Health Queensland
On Tuesday 17 May, a worker suffered serious cryogenic burns after immersing their hands in a container of liquid nitrogen while trying to shrink a brass bush for inserting into an excavator boom arm. While this incident did not occur on a mine site, this type of work may be conducted on mine sites, and in many cases may be done by contractors. Regardless of who conducts the work, the Mine Safety and Health Management System must manage the risks associated with the safe use and handling of liquid nitrogen or similar substances, if it is used at the mine.
Details
WorkSafe Qld
This alert has been distributed to raise awareness of incidents that have been reported to TMR by principal contractors. The information may be used to initiate a review of local risk management arrangements and to ensure that control measures are in place and effective. A worker undertaking a geotechnical inspection of a boring hole for a noise wall footing slipped and fell approximately 4 m into the excavation. The coverings normally in place to prevent a fall were required to be removed to perform the inspection, which was when the incident occurred. Initial attempts to rescue the worker using the equipment available on site were unsuccessful. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services were required to attend site to perform the retrieval. Fall control measures must consider all of the work activities planned to occur on site, including incidental or infrequent activities (e.g. inspections). Arrangements for emergency response must be planned and tested as appropriate.
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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