Safe to Work investigates two key safety incidents this week in New South Wales.
A worker at an open cut coal mine in NSW is back at work after a haul truck extension plate fell onto his leg, meanwhile an underground coal mine reported no injuries after a dozer lost traction during a wet weather trial.
Open cut coal mine
Two workers were standing on a 1.5m scaffold to position an extension plate on top of a dovetail on a haul truck when the incident occurred.
The plate was secured with a lift jib and magnet to a forklift. During the lifting process, the 80kg plate dislodged and hit one worker on his left knee.
The worker suffered a soft tissue injury and was later released back to the site following an assessment.
“Workers must ensure that they do not work under suspended loads and that they choose the appropriate lifting apparatus for the job,” The NSW Resources Regulator said.
“In this instance, the worker suggested that they should have welded lifting points onto the plate, which would have had a higher factor of safety.”
Underground coal mine
An underground coal mine was undertaking work on its main travel roads as part of recommencing mining operations and was scheduled to transport some heavy mining equipment underground.
Due to wet conditions, the mine operator decided to do a trial run with the mine dozer and attachments.
During the trial the dozer lost traction and the jib attachment hit a disused eight inch poly pipe on the right-hand rib line, damaging the pipe.
Thanks to the mine operator’s caution, it was ensured no personnel or vehicles were in the drift except for the dozer and operator prior to the trial.
“Mine operators must ensure that the estimated coefficient of friction between mobile plant tracks and the ground is sufficient to ensure grip and stability,” the NSW Regulator said.
“Appropriate machinery must be chosen for the mine’s conditions.”
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