Safety bulletin:
Overwatering of roads leads to vehicle incidents
Issue
Overwatering of mine roadways decreases tyre traction (skid resistance) and therefore increases braking time. It may also contribute to destabilisation of fill slopes and erosion.
For the period January 2017 to February 2018, there have been 20 incidents reported to the Resources Regulator where it has been identified that overwatering or water on roads has led to the loss of control of a vehicle. This represents almost one-third of the total number of loss-of-control incidents reported during this period.
It is well understood that haul trucks and other vehicles cannot stop quickly on wet roads. Hard braking on a wet road can easily result in a vehicle losing control and colliding with safety berms, other vehicles or infrastructure. Additionally, standing water can soften road bases, potentially leading to road failures and collapsing fill sections and slopes. Poorly designed and maintained roads also leads to increased operational costs in road maintenance, fuel, loss of production and tyres.
Further information and recommendations
For further safety issue details and Resources Regulator recommendations to industry, download the full version of the safety bulletin using the link below.
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