As the tropical storm season kicks off across Queensland, the state’s safety regulator has urged mine operators to review their emergency preparedness now, before the wet weather hits.
The alert, issued earlier this year by Resources Safety & Health Queensland (RSHQ), has stressed the increased threat from not only cyclones, but also heavy rainfall, damaging winds, flooding, flying debris and lightning strikes.
These hazards can seriously compromise mine site safety: explosions have occurred from lightning‑triggered tyre pyrolysis on heavy mobile equipment (HME), while poorly secured buildings have been overturned by strong winds.
RSHQ has recommended that all sites complete a comprehensive seasonal risk assessment and embed an emergency management plan (EMP) in their overall Safety and Health Management System. Plans should cover drainage and water‑management systems, structural integrity inspections, and checks on relocatable buildings, workshops and site infrastructure.
If blasting is planned during wet weather, operators must consult with explosives manufacturers and switch to “wet‑hole” compatible products where required.
Sites are also urged to confirm their warning and evacuation systems are operational. That includes clear procedures for relocating personnel to safe shelter, securing anchoring of temporary structures, and ensuring adequate rescue capability and communication links with neighbouring operations and support services.
With harsher weather becoming more likely, RSHQ has emphasised that “the safest place for workers during a lightning event is a secure building with lightning protection” and that heavy earthmoving equipment should not be used during storms.
Mines are being urged to treat this alert not a warning, but as a call to action to secure workers and infrastructure before the first storm surge hits.
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