Weekly incident summary
7 December 2018 | ISR18-45 | 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 5 December 2018
High level summary of emerging trends and our recommendations to operators.
Reportable incidents total: 60
Summarised incidents: 7
This incident summary provides information on reportable incidents and safety advice for the NSW mining industry.
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Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/02024
Summary: A worker was moving an airline in an underground coal mine when a join separated. The loose hose end whipped around and hit the worker across the arm
and stomach.
Recommendations to industry: Safety clips must be provided to workers, who must fit them to all joins in pressurised air and water hoses.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/02016
Summary: Two workers suffered electric shocks. The first worker leaned against a compressor and felt a small tingle. The second worker touched the compressor several minutes later and also felt a tingle.
Recommendations to industry: Workers should be instructed to stop work immediately and report any electric shock incident. Correct and appropriate earthing that is specific for the installation is a requirement to ensure safe installations.
Dangerous incicent | SinNot 2018/02007
Summary: A forklift rolled forward onto its tynes while changing a pump in a processing plant. The forklift was fitted with a slip-on jib attachment and was removing the pump. The load was at height and as the forklift reversed up a ramp it rolled forward.
Recommendations to industry: The operating parameters of plant, including grades, must be known and available to operators. When operating any form of plant with a load-carrying attachment, wherever possible, the load should be carried as low as possible.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01999
Summary: A fire occurred on a service truck in an open cut coal mine. After reversing the service truck onto a ramp to reach an excavator, the service truck operator got out of the truck to chock the wheels. While exiting the truck he noticed flames. The operator attempted to put out the fire with an extinguisher but was unsuccessful. The water cart was called and the fire was extinguished. An investigation identified the fuel source as diesel spilling from the breather due to the operating angle of the truck.
Recommendations to industry: The operating parameters of plant, including grades, must be known and available to operators. Breathers installed on tanks containing hydrocarbons should be connected to hoses that are run to a safe location to vent clear of any heat or ignition points.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01992
Summary: A collision occurred between a front-end loader and a haul truck on the run of mine pad at an underground coal mine. The loader was working on the pad when the haul truck entered without communicating with the loader operator.
Recommendations to industry: Positive communications are an administrative control. Engineering controls such as collision avoidance systems and proximity detection systems are higher-ranking control measures and should be reviewed before administrative controls are implemented. Auditing and monitoring of ‘pos coms’ requirements by operators should be routinely conducted across all shifts and operating areas.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01982
Summary: A boilermaker suffered an electric shock and minor burns while welding on a grizzly in a quarry. The arc had already been struck and welding was underway when he felt the shock. The spotter transported the boilermaker to hospital for assessment. The incident was reported to the supervisor who did not report it to the manager until the following day.
Recommendations to industry: Workers and supervisors must be trained in incident notification and scene preservation.
Mines must have a system in place that confirms contractors’ equipment is within maintenance and testing frequencies before commencing work.
Dangerous incident | SinNot 2018/01973
Summary: A worker suffered a fracture to a vertebra when he fell from a delivery truck. The worker was repositioning a pallet of milk when the pallet broke. The worker then fell out of the truck. The worker was assessed on site and returned to work. Sometime later, he was getting out of a car when his back seized. The worker was taken to hospital where an X-ray identified a fractured vertebra.
Recommendations to industry: The Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Act 2013 Section 15 requires mines to notify the Resources Regulator once becoming aware that a notifiable incident has occurred. When medical assessment occurs sometime after the initial incident, a notification may be triggered, and notification is then required.
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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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