Weekly incident summary
12 November 2018 | ISR18-42 | Go to website
To report an incident call 1300 814 609 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Week ending 7 November 2018
High level summary of emerging trends and our recommendations to operators.
Reportable incidents total: 54
Summarised incidents: 6
This incident summary provides information on reportable incidents and safety advice for the NSW mining industry.
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Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01852
Summary:A worker was injured when he was hit by a hose. Two workers were trying to unblock a drain hose from a methane water trap. They broke the line and while one worker was holding the hose, the other worker tried to remove the blockage using compressed air. When the blockage cleared it discharged from the end of the hose with force. The worker holding the hose lost his grip and the hose whipped around hitting him in the jaw and the material hit him in the face.
Recommendations to industry: The risk of a hose whipping when applying compressed air is reasonably foreseeable. Put controls in place to address this hazard before starting work. Risk management tools must be used and should be appropriate for the task.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01838
Summary: A fire occurred while diamond drilling in an underground metalliferous mine. An operator noticed gas spitting from a hole and the gas monitor started alarming. The operator saw flames coming from around the collar. The operator extinguished the fire using a hand-held extinguisher. The gas management trigger action response plan (TARP) was followed, which included retreating from the area and reporting the incident. Once cleared, work was resumed. The scene was not preserved and the mining engineering manager was not made aware until the following shift.
Recommendations to industry: Where TARPs are in place related to notifiable events, clear, specific instructions must be included regarding scene preservation and notification to the appropriate personnel.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01825
Summary: A fire occurred on a light vehicle in the decline of a metalliferous underground mine. Flames were seen coming from a vehicle’s engine area by an operator following the vehicle. A radio call was made and the driver manually initiated the fire suppression system.
Recommendations to industry: The risk of fires on light vehicles must be considered.
Light vehicles should undergo the same assessments as heavy mobile plant. While the fuel load may be reduced, the risk to health and safety can be greater.
High potential incident | SinNot 2018/01821
Summary: A painter suffered burns to his hands and face. The painter was cleaning out a pot by running thinners through lines and discharging thinners into an empty thinners tin. The thinners ignited in the tin with flames coming out of tin and causing burns to the painter’s hand (through gloves) and the side of his face.
Recommendations to industry: When working with flammable gases and liquids the potential for static energy should be assessed and suitable controls used to address the risk.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01818
Summary: A buried energised electrical cable was severed while excavating at a quarry.
The cable was known to be buried within the excavation area, however, the depth of cover was much less than expected.
Recommendations to industry: If the depth of cover is questionable, the depth should be confirmed before excavation begins. Any cables in the area should be isolated before starting to dig. Mines should keep surface infrastructure plans up to date.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01802
Summary: An operator was assessed for a fluid injection injury at an underground coal mine. The worker was sprayed with hydraulic oil that ejected from the base of a feed cylinder on a hydraulic roof bolter mounted in a man basket on a load haul dump (LHD) vehicle. The worker was cleared of injury.
Recommendations to industry: An update was provided at the recent Mechanical Engineering Safety Seminar by Dr Sean Nicklin, Hand Surgeon, Sydney Hospital, Prince of Wales & Sydney Children's Hospitals. Dr Nicklin’s presentation is available here. Note, graphic content.
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Resources Regulator recent publications
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Other publications of note
| Publication |
Issue / Topic |
| International (other, non-fatal) |
| MinEx NZ |
- Lacerated thumb while installing splits
An exploration drill assistant sustained a thumb laceration while inserting the HQ splits into the HQ inner tube.
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| National (fatal) |
| Komatsu |
- GSN0171 Underground – Aluminium components in pressure filter in Australia
During a machine overhaul, it was discovered that there are aluminium components inside the indicator and plug on the pressure filter (P/N 100410091). This aluminium is a prohibited material in underground coal mines in Australia. |
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Number of incident notifications, by commencement month and incident type
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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 Annual Performance Measures Reports.
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