Emerging issue on mine sites spotted by safety regulator

Queensland’s mining safety regulator, Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), has issued a safety alert to industry after identifying a worrying trend.

The safety alert focusses on ineffective isolation of generating and mobile plant on mine sites across the state.

RSHQ's Chief Inspector of Mineral Mines and Quarries Hermann Fasching said inspectors had seen absent isolation facilities, isolation points that could not be locked, and isolation systems that were incompatible and therefore ineffective.

“Ineffective isolation of generating and mobile plant can lead to serious injury,” said Mr Fasching.

“It creates significant risk because inadvertent energisation during maintenance can expose workers to crush, shear, entanglement, injection and electric shock hazards.

“Any safety risk to workers is unacceptable, so site senior executives and mine operators should audit all generating and mobile plant in operation at their sites to ensure each item is fitted with an appropriate energy isolation facility.

“Isolation facilities should be clearly marked or labelled as the isolator for the plant, should be capable of being locked out and tagged and should not be able to be operated or actuated when an isolation lock has been applied.”

Mr Fasching said RSHQ was taking immediate action to alert mine and quarry sites to the danger posed to prevent someone being seriously injured or killed.

“The resources sector in Queensland has a responsibility to remedy this situation as soon as possible,” he said.

For more information, read RSHQ’s full Safety Alert.

Media contact

Amy McCann
0457 094 250
media@rshq.qld.gov.au