The New South Wales Resources Regulator has called for greater situational awareness on site after rain caused a coal mining haul truck to slide 50m down a ramp.
The empty haul truck was descending the ramp and the time of the incident. Rain had started to fall around 30 minutes earlier.
As the operator rounded a left-hand bend towards the bottom of the ramp the truck lost traction at slow speed, resulting in the truck sliding down the ramp, crossing the centre line, and rotating 90 degrees.
The truck weighs around 324 tonnes without carrying payload, a significant force that could have disastrous consequences if it had have come into contact with other assets or workers.
“Situational awareness is a key control when operating mobile equipment,” the state regulator said.
“Adequate supervision, training, job planning, and risk assessments should be considered and completed before undertaking tasks.
“Procedures to assess the adverse effects caused by changes in weather and road conditions should be communicated to workers and implemented to prevent incidents.”
Between April 2022 and March 2023, there was a 70 per cent increase in the number of road and other vehicle operating area incidents reported to the regulator.
Last year, the NSW Resources Regulator launched a campaign around vehicle interactions, releasing a targeted video for training purposes at toolbox talks.
The regulator’s campaign encourages workers to speak up in situations where heavy vehicles may be at risk of becoming out of control.
The key takeaway from the campaign is to stop and ask if unsure about nearby vehicles, pedestrians, or conditions.
Operators are encouraged to not rush production and allow time for proper procedure to be followed.
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