Coal Inspectorate | Alert | No.399 V 1 | 03 November 2021
On 30 October 2021, a worker suffered life threatening injuries in an incident that occurred during a routine wash down of a rear dump truck being undertaken by four coal mine workers.
The mine’s safety and health management system permitted the work to be conducted under “live testing” protocols. These protocols allowed:
The rear dump truck was parked on the workshop washdown pad. The workers conducted a job safety analysis (JSA) for using “live testing protocols” during the washdown task.
Spray from a water cannon being operated by the injured coal mine worker hit an E-Stop on the position 2 wheel side of the engine bay, shutting the engine down. The worker stopped the water cannon and entered the space between the position 2 wheel and the engine to reset the E-Stop.
It appears neither the truck operator nor other workers were aware of the location of the injured worker. The truck operator was directed by one of the other workers to turn the front wheels to the left, which resulted in the injured worker being pinned between the tyre and a ladder, causing multiple injuries to his upper body.
Figures 1 and 2 show the positions of coal mine workers at the time of the accident.
Site senior executives should:
Supervisors should:
Coal mine workers should:
Investigations are ongoing and further information may be published as it becomes available. The information in this publication is what is known at the time of writing.
We issue Safety Notices to draw attention to the occurrence of a serious incident, raise awareness of risks, and prompt assessment of your existing controls.
Contact: Steve Smith, Regional Inspector of Mines , 0436 658 225 QldMinesInspectorate@rshq.qld.gov.au
Issued by Resources Safety & Health Queensland
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All information on this page (Coal Mine Worker crushed by moving plant - https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-notices/mines/coal-mine-worker-crushed-by-moving-plant) is correct as of time of printing (Apr 24, 2024 2:23 pm).