Serious accidents and high potential incidentsMineral mines and quarries

Compilation of reports for March 2017

Gravity

Fall of equipment/material (3) • A 4m length of 60 cm water pipe

dislodged and fell approximately 2m

striking a boilermaker on his foot.

• During maintenance on a skip, a 50 kg

piece of concrete was found on the top

of the skip. A shaft inspection was

completed to determine from where

the concrete fell.

• While operating, the frame of a gantry

crane caught a gate handle causing

the gate to vibrate. The vibration

cause a piece of steel to fall to the

ground.

Fall of ground (2) • A 10 t rock fall occurred in the brow of

a drawpoint. Four rock bolts also fell

during the failure.

• A 0.8 magnitude seismic event caused

a 5-8 t rock fall from a side wall in an

accessible area of an underground

mine.

Fall of structure (1) • A 5 kg pipe bracket fell 5 m from a

pipe rack onto a walkway.

Vehicle

Collision with another vehicle (1) • A loaded Cat 771D truck lost steering

and ran into a safety berm. The

incident was caused by the failure of a

steering hose.

Collision with a natural or built structure (1) • An unattended light vehicle rolled

forward 6 m and struck a structural

column of a processing plant.

Other (3) • While a loaded bucket on a loader was

being weighed, the loader tipped

forward causing the operator to strike

his head on the instrument panel.

• While manoeuvring a barge from its

mooring to a river terminal, a small

work boat came into contact with the

barge. The barge then capsized and

the vessel operator fell into the water.

• While travelling on a haul road, the

bucket of a Cat 980K loader dug into

the road, causing the operator to be

thrown forward and receive lacerations

to their skull. The operator was not

wearing a seat belt.

Electrical

Electric shock (2) • A worker received an eclectic shock

while touching an emergency stop

button.

• A worker received a minor electric

shock when they touched the metal

frame of a conveyor..

Biological

Other (1) • A contractor worker who was

performing hosing duties identified

change in water quality and notified

his Supervisor. An investigation found

that a process water line had been

connected to a fresh water line.

Mechanical

Struck by projectile (1) • While concave sections were being

removed from a gyrating crusher using

a rock breaker with a slipper

attachment, a slither of steel broke

away, travelling 10 m and striking a

worker on the arm.

Other (2) • The front right hand wheel on a grader

broke off due to a failure of the hub.

The wheel travelled 40-60 m crossing

a road before it came to rest.

• The driver of a Normet agitator truck

was thrown from the seat struck their

head on the roof of the cabin and lost

consciousness when the truck drove

over a rock on the road. The operator

was wearing a seatbelt but it was

found to have failed at the mount.

Thermal

Fire (5) • Following hot work in the head frame

of a hoisting shaft, smoke was

observed to be coming from the shaft.

The mine was evacuated and the shaft

deluged from the surface.

• An operator of a Cat water truck

noticed smoke in the cabin. The

operator parked the vehicle and

extinguished a fire on a hydraulic line

in the engine bay.

• A fire occurred around the acetylene

pressure gauge on an oxy acetylene

set. There was a leak at the gauge

and sparks from a grinder caused the

ignition of the acetylene.

• Two solenoids in the fuel delivery

circuit of a service truck overheated

and caught fire.

• A fire occurred in the engine bay of a

truck when a hydraulic hose failed and

sprayed oil onto hot components. The

fire self-extinguished when the engine

was shut down.

Molten metal/material (1) • During the addition of anode furnace

final skim to a converter, an adverse

reaction occurred within the converter,

which resulted in a foam-over event.

Molten material was ejected into the

surrounding areas.

Heat strain/stress/stroke (3) • A worker who was spray painting

conveyor support legs began to feel

unwell. He was taken to hospital with

suspected heat stress.

• A shotcrete operator reported feeling

unwell at the end of his shift. He was

admitted to hospital with heat stress

symptoms.

• A driller was admitted to hospital as in­

patient after he had dehydration

symptoms.

Explosives

Misfire (1) • During loading out of material

following a blast, a quantity of misfired

explosives was exposed by the loader

operator.

Security (1) • During routine operations, a mine

identified that it could not account for 2

sticks of 32 x 200 powergel.

Other (1) • A dump truck was operating on an

upper bench at a quarry when a shot

was fired on a lower bench. The truck

may have been within the blast

exclusion zone.

Mineral mines and quarries, Serious accidents and high potential incidents ­Department of Natural Resources and Mines, March 2017 2

Chemical

Acids (1) • A contractor was knocked over and

sprayed in the face and eyes with

battery acid when a battery pack he

was using to jump start a water truck

exploded. He was initially treated

onsite and then transported to hospital

for further treatment.

Exposure to other chemicals(3) • A worker pierced a bulk container

containing a thionocarbamate and

isopropanol mixture with a forklift tyne.

The worker suffered respiratory issues

later that day and the following day

while cleaning up the spill with a spill

kit.

VEHICLE - Collision

6%

THERMAL - Molten metal/material

3%

THERMAL - Heat strain/stress/stroke

9%

THERMAL - Fire 15%

3%

A charge crew operator was sprayed

in the eyes and face with SANFOLD

when another operator flushed the

SANFOLD hose by mistake while

charging a hole. The operators’ eyes

were immediately flushed.

• A worker was commissioning a lime

silowhen the rubber bellows between

the silo and screw conveyor blew out.

The worker was covered in hydrated

lime dust. He showered immediately

and had no burns but complained of a

throat irritation.

by projectile ground 3% 6%

3% CHEMICAL - Exposure

to other chemicals

GRAVITY - Fall of equipment/material

GRAVITY - Fall of MECHANICAL - Other

6%

MECHANICAL - Struck

with a built or natural

PRESSURE - Other

structure

Chart 1 – March 2017 (34 Incidents)

BIOLOGICAL - Other VEHICLE - Other 3% CHEMICAL - Acids

9%

9%

ELECTRICAL - Electric shock

6%

EXPLOSIVES - Misfire 3%

EXPLOSIVES - Other 3%

EXPLOSIVES - Security 3%

GRAVITY - Fall of a structure; 3%

9%

Mineral mines and quarries, Serious accidents and high potential incidents ­Department of Natural Resources and Mines, March 2017 3

11%

Pressure 3%

Vehicle 23%

Biological Chemical 0% 4% Electrical

Explosives 4%

Thermal 15%

Psychosocial Gravity 1% 32%

Physical Health Mechanical 1% 6%

Chart 2 – 12 month rolling average to end March 2017 by Hazard Category (316 Incidents)

1%

Inundation/engulfment (e.g. rock, fill, mud rush,

water)

Other 3%

1%

Fall of a structure 6%

Fall of equipment/material

Fall of ground 35%

Fall of people 9%

Fall of vehicle 12%

Falling into a liquid (e.g. drowning)

33%

Chart 3 - July to March 2017 Breakdown of Gravity Hazard Category (82 Incidents)

Mineral mines and quarries, Serious accidents and high potential incidents ­Department of Natural Resources and Mines, March 2017 4

Collision with a built or natural

structure 21%

Collision with a person

2%

Collision with another vehicle

51%

Other 10%

Rollover 16%

Chart 4 - July to March 2017 Breakdown of Vehicle Hazard Category (49 Incidents)

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Chart 5 - March 2017 Compliance Matters Issued by Hazard Category (34 Issued)

Gravity Mechanical Pressure Thermal VehicleExplosivesRadiation

Mineral mines and quarries, Serious accidents and high potential incidents ­Department of Natural Resources and Mines, March 2017 5

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Chart 6 - March 2017 Compliance Matters Issued by Non Hazard Category (24 Issued)

Past Mineral Mines and Quarry summary reports can be sourced at

https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/mining/safety-health/mining-safety­

health/accidents-incidents/serious-and-high-potential

Mineral mines and quarries, Serious accidents and high potential incidents ­Department of Natural Resources and Mines, March 2017 6