Two truck employees became crushed under extremely heavy loads.
Authorities recently investigated two cases where a heavy vehicle cab and bundle of steel pinned workers.
The first incident involved a truck cab, headboard and forklift fork falling onto an offsider at an undisclosed mine site. AMSJ understands the cab could have weighed up to 4 tonnes.
“The offsider [miraculously survived and only] suffered a broken leg and three fractured vertebrae,” the New South Wales Resources Regulator said in an incident summary.
Another subcontracted spotter was covered in a 1.2 tonne bundle of steel after the product slipped off forklift tynes while being lowered off a trailer.
“Fortunately the worker survived but suffered multiple fractures throughout his body and was hospitalised for two months. The worker is still receiving medical treatment and faces months of rehabilitation,” Northern Territory Work Safe said in a safety alert.
Investigators made the following recommendations:
- restrain loads
- consider safe lifting methods
- perform prestart checks before starting machinery
- never approach machinery without confirming the operator can see them
- provide documented safe work procedures to all workers and subcontractors
- never stand under or near raised loads in case of equipment malfunction or operator error
- when others approach stop lowering loads, apply handbrakes and take hands off the controls
- conduct risk assessments to identify potential hazards and identify control measures to control risk
- stop workers from approaching machinery until the operator has established visual contact and signalled that it is safe to do so.
Click here to read the cab incident summary.
Click here to read the bundled steel incident summary.
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