A deputy sustained a crush injury in a NSW coal mine when he was pinned between a stone duster pod attached to a load haul dump machine and the side of the roadway last month.
The load haul dump machine (LHD) operator had finished stone dusting at the face and was about to clear the roadway with the bulk stone duster pod attached to the quick detach system (QDS). The deputy stopped the LHD, approached the operator and gave instructions to wait for a shuttle car to clear the area of potential vehicles.
The shuttle car cleared the travel route and the LHD operator turned right to clear the roadway. However, the deputy had not cleared the No Standing Zone of the machine, and the operator was unaware.
As the LHD moved to negotiate the turn, the bumper bar of the stone dust pod struck the deputy, fracturing his leg.
A report, following an investigation of the incident, expressed concerns over the lack of positive communication between the operator and deputy.
The report further stated that the mine’s auditing of the Occupational Health and Safety Management System had failed to identify the flaw in the system of work associated with No Standing Zones.
A NSW Government Trade & Investment Safety Alert recommends that all mines should:
- Audit and review the compliance with No Standing Zones around mobile machinery.
- Ensure Transport Management Plans and mine rules are implemented.
- Ensure mine rules and schemes related to No Standing Zones are positively enforced.
- Ensure, in particular, that machine operators and supervisors enforce compliance with No Standing Zones around mobile equipment.
- Ensure a system of positive communication between machine operators and pedestrians is in place to ensure people are not located in NoStanding Zones before mobile machinery moves.
- Review and identify the application of proximity detection devices to minimise the risk to the lowest level reasonably practicable with reference to Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001, clause 5: Hierarchy of Control – engineering controls.
- Remind people of their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 and the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002.
Image: from the NSW Trade & Investment Safety Alert