Dangerous Incident Report Summary

January 28, 2018 Tara

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00096

Summary: A dump truck exited a dump and was proceeding down a 10% grade when the truck started to slide. It slid for about 80 m before it started to turn. The driver braked and the truck slid over the centre line of the road. The speed at the start of the slide was 24kph and reached up to 29 kph during the incident. The truck was empty. The road had been watered and had a 4 m dry line.
Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should review:

  • procedures associated with water carts wetting roads and the appropriateness of dry lines
  • how wet roads are assessed for use
  • how hazards associated with wet roads are communicated.

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00092

Summary: A worker was greasing a front-end loader from a mobile service truck when the hose failed. The worker was not injured but was about 0.5 m from the point of hose failure at the time it failed. The hose was rated to 5000psi and the working pressure supply from the pump was about 2500psi.
Recommendations to industry: The frequency of maintenance should be addressed and change-out of hoses needs to consider the application and duty cycle of the hose.

Serious injury | SInNot 2018/00085

Summary: A fitter working on a 25 tonne excavator fell off the stairs when exiting the machine. The operator fell about 2 m, landing heavily on ground.
Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should review their machines against AS 1657 Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders – Design, construction and installation and against the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) design.
Review:

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00081

Summary: A worker was hit in the face by a return hose when it whipped around (unrestrained) after roof consolidation product (mineseal) was returned to the re-circulation tank
Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should implement systems that verify that workers follow the procedures provided when setting up for jobs. Any major change to work practices should follow a change management process, which includes communication and training of the workforce.

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00080

Summary: An excavator was deck loading overburden in the pit. The operator saw oil on both tracks and communicated to the trucks and dozer in the area that he had an oil leak. The operator positioned the machine for better access and then noticed smoke and fire in the engine bay of the machine. The operator shut down the machine, initiated the fire suppression and called an emergency. The fire was extinguished. Further inspection identified that a bolt was missing from the hydraulic fitting attached to the fan drive motor on power pack 1, allowing the release of hydraulic oil to be blown over the motor resulting in the initiation of a fire. There was no visible damage to the machine.
Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should engage with OEMs to investigate methods of reducing the surface temperatures of engine components. Mine operators should review their maintenance and pre-use inspections to include all components of hydraulic circuits that can practically be inspected.

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00074

Summary: A worker was weed spraying near and old underground sealed entrance. As he walked towards the entrance he noticed an unusual smell and felt lightheaded. He walk out of the area and contacted the supervisor. The operator continued work.
Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should review the potential access to any old underground adits on site and potential for gasses to layer in gullies and old box cuts. The adequacy of seals for old underground mine workings should also be reviewed.

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00068

Summary: A dump truck was reversing up a stockpile when the truck’s trailer rolled over. The cab remained upright. The driver was not injured.
Recommendations to industry: Mine operators should review their dumping procedure, especially hazards associated with reversing up a stockpile around unconsolidated ground.

Dangerous incident | SInNot 2018/00064

Summary: A maintenance contractor was fault finding on a mobile crusher while it was running. The crusher was empty at the time and a jaw plate had become loose. The plate was thrown about 15 m into the air. It then hit the control panel hatch that the contractor was standing under. This resulted in the hatch and plate hitting the contractor on the head. He was knocked down and suffered a laceration required five stitches.
Recommendations to industry: Pre-task job assessments must be undertaken before the commencement of any task.

Number of incident notifications, by commencement month and incident type?

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