Alert no. 449 | 06 June 2024 | Version 1

Haul truck hits excavator

What happened?

Whilst conducting top loading operations at the base of a ramp, a fully loaded dump truck has rolled backwards into the excavator that had been loading it, severely damaging the excavator cabin.

How did it happen?

• The excavator was operating on a slope at the base of the ramp and had not created a flat bench to work from.
• A safety bund had not been established in front of the excavator to create a barrier between the excavator and truck.
• When the excavator sounded the horn, the dump truck operator attempted to drive forward. The rear dump truck then rolled back into the excavator.

No mine workers were injured.

The high potential incident scene was isolated overnight for an inspector to respond to the site.

Key issues

• The excavator had not established a safety bund prior to the trucks being loaded.
• The excavator was operating on a slope, instead of operating on a flat bench.

Recommendations

• A safety bund should be established in front of the excavator during top loading operations to prevent trucks from backing into the excavator.
• Where possible, excavators should operate on a flat bench, not a slope.