News, Repair and maintenance, Safety events and incidents, Underground operations

No injuries in underground cave-in

underground mining safety regulator coal mine

A cave-in at an underground coal mine in New South Wales has highlighted the importance of monitoring for defects, with the state regulator calling for greater awareness from mine operators.

The ground at an entire heading intersection where mining had been occurring the night before collapsed due to a suspected defect in the ground support system.

The crew working in the area had withdrawn equipment for planned maintenance the day before the fall occurred.

The area design was a run out on the left-hand side of the bord and pillar panel with herringbone and floor stripping.

There was an unbolted section and a bolted section through the run out.

At 11am the day of the cave-in, workers observed a roof and skin failure in the unbolted area.

By 3pm, it was reported that the fall of ground had progressed through the entire intersection, whether bolted and unbolted.

Ground or strata failure is a principal hazard which is prevalent within underground mining environments and can potentially cause serious injuries to workers if not controlled effectively.

“Mine operators are reminded of the need for workers who are required to install and maintain tell-tale strata monitoring devices to be trained on the correct installation and defect management requirements for the lifecycle of the devices,” the NSW Resources Regulator said.

Proper ground support lifecycle management ensures supports continue to perform as designed, preventing injuries and damage to equipment.

“When identifying and implementing control measures, mines are also reminded to follow the hierarchy of controls to ensure health and safety risks are minimised so far as is reasonably practicable,” the Regulator said in a ground or strata failure fact sheet.

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