Weekly incident summary
14 December 2018 | ISR18-46 | 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 12 December 2018
High level summary of emerging trends and our recommendations to operators.
Reportable incidents total: 40
Summarised incidents: 4
This incident summary provides information on reportable incidents and safety advice for the NSW mining industry.
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Dangerous incident | IncNot0033153
Summary: A dozer came into contact with electrical equipment at an open cut coal mine. The dozer backed over a 6.6kV shovel cable and grazed the junction box. Power tripped at the substation. An earth leakage fault was reported against the 6.6kV outlet.
Recommendations to industry: Electrical infrastructure, whether temporary or permanent, should be delineated. The type of delineation used should be appropriate to the level of risk, and taking into account the vehicles used and the equipment operating in the area.
Serious injury | IncNot0033143
Summary: A worker suffered a fractured leg when a basket detached from a loader in an underground metalliferous mine. The basket lock-pin disengaged when the operator pressed the wrong button in the cab while attempting to lift the park brake. The basket fell 2 metres from where it was attached to the loader.
Recommendations to industry: An investigation has commenced. Further information will be released shortly.
Dangerous incident | IncNot0033186
Summary: An articulated water cart rolled at an open cut coal mine. The water cart was reversing at low speed and turned slightly when the rear wheel rode up onto a dozer rill/windrow, causing the tank to roll onto its side.
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Recommendations to industry: Mines that are operating articulated vehicles, particularly water carts, should review operating parameters (include slope and cross grades). Work areas should be assessed to determine if articulated vehicles are the correct plant for the task.
Dangerous incident | IncNot0033198
Summary: A worker was sprayed with a cyanide solution at a gold mine processing plant. A fitter was standing adjacent to a pump when the isolation was being removed. A drain valve was left open and a stream of cyanide sprayed out. As it sprayed, the worker tried to move out of the way but he was sprayed on the shoulder and arm. The worker used a safety shower nearby. Full personal protection equipment (PPE) was worn at the time.
Recommendations to industry: When making changes to process equipment, change management processes must be documented, followed and communicated to relevant workers.
When positioning drain valves, consideration should be given to the path of any discharge. This is applicable to all fluid and gas types and should consider pressure, flow and substance.
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Recent Resources Regulator publications
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Other publications of note
| Publication |
Issue / Topic
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| International (fatal) |
| MSHA |
- METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY – On June 13, 2018, a 65-year old truck driver was fatally injured when his truck travelled over a berm and into an impoundment of water. Divers recovered the victim in the water.
Details
- METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY – On November 3, 2018, a 44-year-old shift supervisor was killed when a loaded haul truck ran over her pick-up truck at the crusher site.
Details
- METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY – On November 11, 2018, a 45-year-old underground technician was killed when the load haul dump (LHD) machine he had been operating underground ran over him.
Details |
| International (other, non-fatal) |
| MinEx NZ |
- A driller failed to notice that a winch wire had become snagged and continued to raise the mast, therefore continuing to increase the tension in the wire until the steel thimble bent, causing the wire and attached hoist plug to release in an uncontrolled manner within close proximity of the driller.
Details
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| National (other, non-fatal) |
Qld dept of Mines (DNRM)
In MinEX NZ |
- Lightning strikes on rubber-tyred heavy vehicles. During lightning storms, heavy, rubber-tyred vehicles should not be recommended as a place of safety.
- Several incidents have occurred on Australian mine sites in which lightning has struck rubber-tyred vehicles causing tyres to explode, demonstrating the enormous potential for significant harm when this occurs.
Details |
MIRS WA |
- There was a near miss in which a latch failed and a gate swung open on a haul truck
- During April 2018, a worker was exposed to potentially serious injuries when a handrail latch failed, causing a handrail gate to swing open.
- The truck was in the queue to receive a load when a trainee operator and the trainer stepped out of the cab to hold a discussion. The trainee was leaning over the handrail outside the cab near the emergency ladder when the latch failed. The trainee lost his balance and grabbed the handrail. The trainer reacted immediately and grabbed the trainee's arm to prevent him from falling. The distance to the ground was more than 4 metres.
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 Annual Performance Measures Reports.
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