Sparks that broke out in an underground coal mine in New South Wales restarted days after they were initially staunched.
The fire was first discovered last week when a deputy at the mine discovered a collapsed return roller on a panel conveyor belt.
The deputy stopped the belt, applied a fire extinguisher and isolated the area with a fire watch in place.
A preliminary investigation was initiated, and the incident was reported to the state Regulator. Immediate corrective actions included replacing damaged structure legs and rollers and conducting a full review of the conveyor risk assessments and fire management plan.
Three days later, smoke and embers were detected on the conveyor directly outbye the earlier incident.
This was caused by the belt making contact with a restrained grease line. The conveyor had wandered beyond its intended path, with wander switches failing to trip.
All belts were shut down, and a full inspection was ordered. The incident prompted a detailed audit of conveyor systems, investigation of wander switch functionality and a review of installation procedures at the coal mine.
“Risks and effective risk controls associated with conveyor systems are well known,” the NSW Resources Regulator said.
“Mine operators must ensure appropriate risk controls are implemented and maintained.
“Inspection systems should be designed to identify defects, with a strategy to address identified defects, i.e. with the use of a defect register/database.
“Wander switches should be commissioned to ensure this control measure will be effective during the operation of conveyors.”
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