Mine operators are being reminded to ensure mobile equipment is inspected and tested regularly to keep workers safe after site visits in New South Wales showed some key safety protocols were being missed.
The NSW Resources Regulator safety bulletin also recommended educating workers to help further reduce the risk of on-site injury by ensuring workers are aware of risks when operating in travel mode.
Correctly identifying how to use specific plugs in the machinery, along with pre-start inspection procedures, was also highlighted as a key opportunity to keep workers safe when using mobile crushing and screening equipment.
The recommendations come after the NSW Resources Regulator visited a number of sites and found instances of mobile crushing and screening equipment being operated with lanyard emergency stop circuits bypassed by using travel plugs or travel mode switches.
The practice is said to disable critical safety control technology designed to stop plant movement during an emergency, thereby potentially exposing workers to serious injury.
In all cases inspected by the regulator, the issue was only identified after a request was made to see a live test of the lanyard system.
The regulator found that pre-start inspections were recorded as completed, with workers indicating that lanyards were operational, despite the systems being bypassed. Notably, the fixed emergency stop push buttons still functioned in travel mode, creating a false sense of compliance, the regulator said.
Site operators have a legal obligation, under the section 37 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025, to ensure control measures are in place to minimise or reduce risks to health and safety.
It legislates that the control measure is maintained to it remains effective, including by ensuring the control measure is – and remains – fit for purpose, suitable for the natura and duration of work and installed correctly.
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