All the latest in mine health and safety in NSW

Weekly incident summary - week ending 20 March 2020
30 reportable incidents, 3 summarised below

Dangerous incident | IncNot 0036980

Underground coal mine

Summary: An air operated bolting rig dislodged from the spill plate of the AFC mounting and was thrust back into the longwall walkway. The operator of the bolting rig jumped out of the way but was struck on the wrist. It appears the cradle was not properly attached to the pan line spill plate.

Recommendations to industry: Operators must ensure that control measures are in place to manage the risks associated with the dissipation of mechanical energy.
Safe work systems must be developed for people dealing with plant - including pre-inspections that identify and check mechanical safeguards used to prevent the dissipation of mechanical energy.
Mitigating controls such as no-go zones should be established in consideration of the energy present.

Dangerous incident | IncNot 0036988

Underground metals mine
Principal hazard: Fire or explosion

Summary: An underground loader was in idle mode when the operator saw smoke and flames at the back of the machine. The operator activated the fire suppression system and extinguished the fire. It appears that the fire may have started in the exhaust box.

Recommendations to industry: The cause of this fire has not yet been established. For further information refer to our dedicated website page about fires on mobile plant.

Refer to our position paper:
Fires-on-mobile-plant-position-paper-October-2019.

Dangerous incident | IncNot 0036991

Underground coal mine

Summary: While spraying a ventilation stopping with aquacrete, an operator was sprayed on the forearm. This occurred when he tried to release a hose blockage.

The grout pump had been stopped for a while and upon restarting, the hose appeared to be blocked. The operator turned off the air at the main valve and was undoing a camlock fitting, when the grout released and struck him on the forearm.

Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should review how workers and supervisors are trained in recognising the potential hazards associated with all energy sources. This is especially important when there is the potential for unexpected stored energy, associated with blockages, to be released without warning.

ISR20-12 | Go to website

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 (fatal)
Publication: MSHA
Mine fatality
On 27 February 2020, a mine worker died when an unsecured 20'x8'x1" steel plate, standing on edge, fell and struck him. The steel plate was being used to cover the end of a feeder to allow an equipment operator to build an earthen ramp to the feeder.
Details

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

*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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