Queensland Mines Inspectorate | Alert | No.384 V 1 | 15 January 2021
On 11 January 2021, a serious accident occurred while a mine worker was driving a truck in an underground mine. There was an explosion in the truck cabin causing serious burns to the worker's face, hands and chest. Fortunately the worker's eyes were protected from the blast by safety glasses.
The force of the blast dislodged some of the windows of the truck's cabin and these were blown clear of the truck. Figure 1 shows the deformation to the metal filter access panel for the air-conditioning (AC) system and Figure 2 shows a window lying where it was ejected by the blast.
While the investigation is still ongoing, the findings of the investigation to date indicate that:
A similar incident occurred in 2014 when a drill operator in a coal mine suffered burns to the face, hands and torso in an explosion after hydrocarbon refrigerant leaked from the AC system and ignited.
Deviation from OEM Guidelines
Equipment not re-engineered
Personnel unlicensed for hydrocarbon refrigerant
The Site Senior Executive must ensure that:
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.
Guidance on Queensland Gas Work Licences can be found at https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/mining-energy-water/resources/safety-health/petroleum-gas/gas-work-devices/licences-authorisations
Contact: Mark Desira, Inspector of mines (Chemical and Occupational Hygiene) , 0467 808 736 QldMinesInspectorate@rshq.qld.gov.au
Issued by Resources Safety & Health Queensland
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All information on this page (Explosion in truck cabin from air-conditioning system - https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-notices/mines/explosion-in-truck-cabin-from-air-conditioning-system) is correct as of time of printing (Apr 26, 2024 7:44 am).