Weekly incident summary - week ending 22 May 2020
34 reportable incidents, 5 summarised below
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0037381
Open cut construction materials
Principal mining hazard: Roads or other vehicle operating areas
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Summary: While unloading a trailer at a site dump, the trailer rolled onto its side when the third stage of the hoist ram was reached. The trailer tipped because of wet material hang-up. The trailer rolled towards the passenger side of the truck. The driver’s cabin remained upright.
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Comments to industry: The stability of articulated vehicles is a known risk. Following a succession of similar incidents, the NSW Resources Regulator published two safety bulletins with recommendations to help prevent truck rollovers. Refer to safety bulletins:
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0037386
Open cut coal mine
Principal mining hazard: Ground or strata
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Summary: A section of a 20-metre highwall failed at an open cut mine. An excavator crew was about 200 metres from the fall at the time.
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Comments to industry: Following several incidents in which people and equipment have been exposed to significant health and safety risks as a result of highwalls, low walls and dumps failing, we have published a safety bulletin:
Operators should take note of the recommendations in this bulletin.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0037393
Open cut coal mine
Principal mining hazard: Ground or strata
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Summary: A dozer operator was pushing coal on a stockpile and was trying to dig out a bridge that had formed over a valve. The bridge unexpectedly collapsed, causing the coal to slump under the right-hand track of the dozer. The operator was unable to drive the dozer out, but decided to exit the dozer and walk from the stockpile.
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Comments to industry: Operators are reminded of the potential hazards associated with a dozer on a stockpile. Importantly, the decision to exit the dozer placed the operator at heightened risk, because further movement of the stockpiled material could have resulted in him being engulfed.
Before starting work, supervisors and equipment operators should inspect and assess the work area to determine hazards, such as the potential for material bridging and subsequent collapse. Planning for the work must include identification of hazards, risk assessment and control.
Refer to:
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Serious injury | IncNot0037398
Coal preparation plant
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Summary: An operator was cleaning a belt press filter when he became entangled between a roller and the filter cloth. He could not free himself and remained with his arm trapped by the rotating apparatus until released by a supervisor. The operator suffered arm fractures, a serious laceration to the top of his left forearm and an abrasive-type burn to his left lower forearm.
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Comments to industry: Under no circumstances should guards be removed, or work carried out on rotating equipment without the equipment being shut down and correctly isolated before work commences. Where limit switches are identified as a control, mines should ensure that they are installed and operational.
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Serious injury | IncNot0037412
Underground metals
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Summary: A contractor was cleaning the floor grate on top of a leach tank area using a high-pressure cleaner. During the cleaning process, a 1.5 centimetre cut was created by the high pressure water jet on a poly line that was sitting underneath the mesh floor.
The line was a cyanide feed line and cyanide fluid sprayed from the cut pipe. The leaking cyanide sprayed for three to five minutes before the line was isolated. The operator had placed the head of the high-pressure washer below the grid mesh to remove some build-up on a beam. No-one was injured.
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Comments to industry: A job safety analysis (JSA) was completed for this task but did not identify the risk of the lines underneath the mesh floor being compromised. The pressure cleaner operating pressure was reduced for the job from a maximum pressure of 2500bar to 690bar.
The incident highlights the importance of contractors being provided with all relevant information before work begins. Appropriate labelling of the poly pipeline may have alerted the cleaning contractor to the existing hazard.
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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
Isolation failure
A worker was seriously injured by the release of pressurised hydraulic fluid into his face and eyes. The worker was conducting field maintenance on a mobile crusher when the incident occurred.
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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