The New South Wales Resources Regulator has completed its investigation into a serious injury at Whitehaven Coal’s Tarrawonga mine in Boggabri.
The incident occurred in November 2022 when a worker was hit by 32kg steel lifting plate, causing him to sustain a compound fracture to his leg.
The worker had finished repairing a haul truck and was using a crane to remove the lifting plate from the axle box when it became wedged.
The crane continued to apply load, and when the lifting plate freed it hit the worker on the leg.
The state Regualtor said that in the moments before the plate’s release, the worker’s head and body were positioned directly in the line of fire.
“An uncontrolled release of stored energy generated during the operation of the crane caused this incident,” the Regulator said.
“The worker was exposed to a risk of suffering more serious impact injuries, or death, if the plate had hit the worker’s head or other vulnerable areas.”
An investigation by the Resources Regulator’s Major Safety Investigation Unit found the worker was also at risk of potentially suffering crush and manual handling injuries while working in a confined area and adopting awkward positions and postures to manoeuvre the plate.
To prevent future incidents, the Regulator said mines should always conduct risk assessments to identify potential hazards, which was not completed in this instance.
Workers should also be specifically trained in the tasks they will be carrying out, as the Regulator found the injured worker was not provided with for the safe removal of lifting plates.
The Regulator has also warned workers to ensure they are not positioned in the path of moving loads and equipment, or perform work in the line of fire when undertaking lifting activities.
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