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The first defence against falling drill assemblies

drill assemblies

Addressing a long-standing danger in underground mining operations, the development of the SafetySpear protects workers and prevents accidental incursion of drill assemblies into worksites.

Ever since the inception of underground mining, the danger of falling drill rods has been present.

These drill assemblies are necessary to the process of underground mining, but when left abandoned within blast holes they exist as constant risks to operators and equipment within the space above which they sit.

Due to their construction, the drilling assemblies have the capacity to fall down following unforeseen potential system failure, resulting in a high-weight and high-speed object falling and impacting onto an area potentially populated by workers.

This potential danger is what drove director of RattleJack Innovations Leigh Sutton to begin the process of developing and manufacturing the SafetySpear.

“We developed the SafetySpear out of the lack of controls in place for this type of accident,” Sutton told Safe to Work.

“There are a lot of mines we visit that don’t realise falling drill assemblies are such a problem and, in turn, we’re able to say to them that we can effectively and safely remove that danger for them.

“Traditional methods like a ground-support system and cement to block the drill holes have been used for years, but they aren’t suitable for preventing the accident, so they are only used because there previously was no alternative.

“The beauty of the SafetySpear is that it is designed for the high-impact loads of the drilling assemblies, unlike concrete and the support system, which are designed for gradual load.

“It’s quite a hard problem to solve, but we’ve found a reliable and easy to use solution to stop that incredibly sharp, high-energy impact.”

The SafetySpear acts as an answer to a problem that has been around since the beginning of mechanical mining. Inserted into the holes bored by drills, the SafetySpear is able to catch the falling drill assembly and rapidly slow its descent, before stopping the drill assembly and locking it in place.

“The SafetySpear will set a new benchmark in uphole drilling risk management in our industry,” Ion Hann (left), VP Agnico Eagle Mines, Fosterville Gold Mine, Victoria, said.

Engineered from high-impact plastic and polyurethane, the SafetySpear is a heavy-duty and yet light-to-handle solution that is effective in stopping high-weight loads, while also being easy to transport and install.

“The SafetySpear is made up of two components, both made of different plastics and with different functions, to work together to stop the drill assemblies,” Sutton said.

“The strong high-impact plastic is the triggering mechanism and the polyurethane operates with a braking effect, in that it slows the descent of the drilling assembly, containing it within the blast hole.

“We’ve moved away from the traditional measures, in that everything has to be made out of durable metals, because high-density steel wasn’t able to do what we need the SafetySpear to do to prevent an accident.

“The benefits exist outside of the effectiveness of the SafetySpear in preventing the incursion of the drill assemblies, in that they are also low-weight due to being made of plastic and durable because they won’t corrode.”

Falling drill assemblies constitute a low-probability, high-consequence event: they are not common, but the potential danger is ever-present and represents a life-threatening situation for workers in the area.

RattleJack Innovations director Leigh Sutton in front of surface test rig.

Due to the makeup of the SafetySpear, it can be easily installed and operators can be confident that it will still be protecting their safety years down the track.

“The SafetySpear’s cutting-edge materials ensure it can tolerate either hot or cold environments and rusting will not affect its functionality,” Sutton said.

“It can withstand these harsh punishments and still work as well as the day it was installed.”

Additionally, RattleJack Innovations has a focus on usability when it comes to the SafetySpear, designing it to be easy and time-efficient to install.

“We utilise the existing machinery that drills these holes to then install the SafetySpear, so no additional machinery is required to get the life-saving protection in,” Sutton said.

“It takes about two-and-a-half minutes to install the SafetySpear, which is incredible when compared to set-up and drying times of previous solutions and incredibly more efficient than the reclamation process of a potentially lost drill assembly.

“We have experience on these sites and with these operations, so we designed the SafetySpear with these experiences in mind.

“Through making the safety measure quick and effective, it becomes a more attractive solution to businesses, which then guarantees the safety of their workers.”

Requiring only one machine to install, the SafetySpear effectively saves on time and money by allowing operators to continue with their workflow after installing the device, reducing operational costs and preventing unnecessary downtime.

Promoting safer and more efficient underground mining operations, the SafetySpear has been nominated in the Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S and Innovation Mining Solution categories of the Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

Exemplifying innovation through creation of a safety solution that previously did not exist, the SafetySpear has been in use at the Fosterville Gold Mine in Victoria and WA’s Byrnecut Mining Australia operations, where the ‘catch, control to stop’ design saw success in a variety of tests and practical applications.

“Every mine we go to has a story about a close call or an error when it comes to managing safety around drill assemblies,” Sutton said.

“With the SafetySpear, we aim to provide an effective solution that eliminates those risks and fits into the workflow to avoid instances where the wrong blast hole is covered.

“We’ve done the hard yards with our extensive Australia-wide battle testing and had the feedback from the operations that have trialled the SafetySpear to know that it does work and that it works well. You could be working underneath a blast hole and the SafetySpear engages to stop a falling assembly and you wouldn’t know, the sound is muffled due to the design.

“And that works for us – knowing that we can keep people safe at work and get them home to their families is what we set out to achieve and it is what the SafetySpear is successful at achieving.”

The SafetySpear is one-of-a-kind, managing to be lightweight, durable and effective at filling a gap in mining safety.

“The high-impact safety system is able to protect underground miners, and though they might not hear the falling hazard coming at them or the SafetySpear stopping that hazard in its tracks, it will have gone about its business quietly to save someone’s life.” Sutton said.

“Accidents leave a trail behind in the end. Good safety systems don’t.”

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