A sudden movement caused part of a heavy vehicle to come crashing down onto an underground employee.
During routine maintenance a fitter accidentally bumped a stay that was holding up a truck cabin. The cab was suddenly released from its forward-tilting position and swung down onto the worker at CBH Resources’ Rasp underground mine, 3km south of downtown Broken Hill.
Fortunately, a nearby coworker witnessed the incident and quickly ran over to assist the trapped fitter.
“Another worker helped free the fitter from under the cab [and] the fitter was not injured,” the New South Wales Resources Regulator said in a safety summary.
The regulator urged every employer to make sure heavy vehicles are securely propped open to prevent serious injuries.
“When working under a tilted cab or tray, the support stay must be secured to protect workers from being trapped, pinned or crushed,” it said.
“Stays require a two-step action to ensure they are adequately protected from inadvertent release.”
Click here to download the full summary.
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