Weekly incident summary - week ending 23 April 2021
40 reportable incidents, 2 summarised below
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0039697
Underground coal mine
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Summary: While attempting to unblock a ballast borehole, a surface drill-rig operator and his offsider were hit on the legs with ballast that ejected from the borehole. The preliminary investigation suggests that the rig had drilled down through ballast in the hole and partly into the blockage. A build-up of air pressure caused the loose ballast to dislodge a protective collar, escape and hit the operators. No injuries were sustained.
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Comments to industry: Drill rig operators need to identify all potential hazards associated with all energy sources and implement appropriate controls. This is especially important when there is the potential for stored energy associated with blockages to be released without warning.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0039716
Metals exploration
Principal mining hazard: Roads or other vehicle operating areas
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Summary: The operator of a 20 tonne tracked support vehicle sustained lower back injuries when the vehicle lost power on an incline and rolled backwards before coming to rest on a creek bank. The preliminary investigation suggests that the braking system failed to stop the vehicle and there was no fail-safe braking system.
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Comments to industry: The cause of this incident is unknown at this stage. Further information may be published later. Mine operators are reminded that they must develop and adhere to strict inspection and maintenance standards and practices to ensure plant is fit-for-purpose. Vehicle operators must carry out pre-start inspections to ensure plant can be safely operated. Safety critical systems, such as braking, should be inspected, maintained and tested in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.
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Other Resources Regulator publications
Safety bulletin - SB21-02 - Flyrock from blasting activities
Safety bulletin - SB21-03 - Diesel shutdown systems
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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 (other, non-fatal)
Publication: MinEx NZ
Snatch block failure during lift
A contractor was using a winch truck and two snatch blocks to lift an 18 metre section of casing from a trench, when one of the components catastrophically failed, injuring the winch operator.
Details
National (other, non-fatal)
Publication: Resources Safety and Health Queensland Coal Inspectorate
Hazards associated with some super large bore inflator adaptors – Safety alert #389
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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