The NSW Resources Regulator has highlighted the importance of protecting light vehicle (LV) parking areas after a dump truck collided with a parked LV at an underground metals mine.
According to the safety body, the incident occurred near a mine portal as a dump truck was reversing in the area. The truck struck the rear left side of an LV that was parked in its designated parking area.
The vehicle had two occupants inside at the time, and the regulator said the occupants started the vehicle and attempted to move forward up a nearby bund to avoid the collision, but were unable to clear the truck’s path.
The LV was positioned on the truck’s offside, and the truck operator was unaware it was there.
At the time of the incident, the dump truck was being operated by a trainee, with a trainer also present in the vehicle.
In its industry recommendations, the regulator highlighted the importance of physical separation between light vehicles and operating mobile plant. It said that appropriately designed berms or windrows should protect designated LV parking areas located near active mobile equipment.
These barriers should be constructed from suitable solid materials and be of sufficient height, density and profile to provide effective separation between vehicles.
According to the regulator’s technical reference guide for roads or other vehicle operating areas (ROVOA), the minimum berm height should generally be at least half the wheel height of the largest vehicle using the road.
The recommendation aligns with Layer 2 of the regulator’s layered defence approach, which focuses on vehicle separation controls designed to physically isolate vehicles from potential hazards through the use of barriers, earth mounds and berms.
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