Tim Mills
Product Manager – Environmental Monitoring, Ampcontrol
Ampcontrol delivers integrated electrical, electronic and control solutions to improve safety and efficiency in mining, renewable, infrastructure and industrial applications. From the most complex electrical infrastructure to the most hazardous industrial environments, we engineer solutions which focus on whole of life optimisation.
Drawing on the multi-disciplined technical resources within our business, we step outside the conventions of traditional problem solving, and seek new ways to improve electrical infrastructure design through smart electronics, intelligent data gathering, and operational networking and control.
Introduction by Master of Ceremonies
Russell White, Master of Ceremonies, Managing Director, Driver Safety Australia
CONFERENCE WELCOME
Greg Dalliston, Chair, Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference 2019
CONFERENCE OPENING
The Honourable Dr Anthony Lynham, Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy
Matthew Pederson-Howard, Vice President, Safety and Health, Peabody and
Adam Schloss,
Production Superintendent, Peabody Australia
Glenn Owens
Project Manager, BMA Engineering
Dave Zanette
Project Supervisor, BMA Engineering
The Broadmeadow Proximity Detection (PDS) Project was initiated to address the risk of vehicle to pedestrian and vehicle to vehicle interactions in a low visibility environment. There have been numerous deaths and injuries which have occurred due to workers being contacted or crushed by mobile equipment in the underground environment. Following the fatality at the Moranbah North Coal Mine (2007), a Shuttle car incident at San Juan and the fatality at Escondida in 2016. Broadmeadow is committed to the implementation of an engineering solution. Proximity Detection Systems have the potential to reduce the risk of underground mobile equipment injuries and fatalities.
The project has completed stage 1 trials of a Proximity Detection System (PDS) fitted to vehicles (Shuttle Car (SC), Loader (LHD) and Personnel Transporter (PJB)) designed to detect the presence of a pedestrian or vehicle in a hazardous location around a machine. Should a worker enter this zone, the system will issue a warning signal – a combination of audible and visual alarms – to notify the individual as well as the machine operator of potential danger. The system was also configured on the SC to automatically slow and stop when a pedestrian was detected in the warning and danger zones of the machine. Stage 1 of the trial was conducted both in surface and underground testing areas in isolation from production activities.
The PDS is currently in stage 2 trials at Broadmeadow. During this stage the PDS (with auto slow\stop enabled) has been installed on an operating shuttle car currently in production underground in a Broadmeadow Development panel. This is the first SC in Australia to run in production with a PDS in full auto slow\stop mode.
A LHD fitted with audible and visual alarms is also being trialled underground in a production environment, this trial involve fitting various attachments to the LHD including personnel-baskets, pipe trailer and stone dust pod. Various attachments require configuration changes to the system to ensure the machine zone sizes can grow and shrink dynamically to suit the attached implement or machine speed. One of the most challenging parts of the PDS trials is the application of silent zone technology which enables an operator(s) to work within the fields of the machine in what is designated as a safe area i.e. cab or inside a personnel-basket. This silent zone technology has been applied to a bolter\miner and at Broadmeadow and it effectively makes all operators standing in safe zones on the bolter\miner platform invisible to the shuttle car PDS as it docks to the machine for loading.
During the course of the trials over 200 different vehicle to pedestrian and vehicle to vehicle scenarios have been tested. If a pedestrian comes within 7 to 8 metres of a shuttle car it will slow to 50% speed and if a pedestrian comes within 4 to 5 metres of the shuttle car it will automatically stop before hitting the pedestrian. Feedback from operators has been that the system gives them a greater awareness of machine NO-GO Zones and operators are standing further back from the machine.
The PDS is current installed on the following machines at Broadmeadow:
- Full Auto-Stop Mode – 2 x Shuttle Cars (with a 3rd installation in progress)
- Warning only Mode – 1 x Underground Personnel Transporter, 2 x Underground Loaders (LHDs), 1 x Electric Vehicle, 1 x Moxy Articulated Truck
PDS Tags are currently installed in 180 Caplamps.
Brandt ‘Bugsy’ North, Safety Ambassador/Choices and Consequences Presenter, Downunder Group Solution
Mark Parcell, Sole Director, Mine Safety Institute of Australia (interviewer)
Bipin Parmar
Principal Engineer, Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy
The potential for a gas or dust explosion, arising from misuse, failure or lack of maintenance of electrical equipment in underground coal mines is high. In order to reduce the risk of a failure, pre-overhaul audits on the Explosionprotected (Ex) certified equipment are conducted.
Occasionally Simtars is involved with investigation or inspection of equipment after a failure resulting in an incident or accident. This paper will present various methods of collecting and analysing the information/data prior to the event, the actual event and post event activities. Examples of investigation or inspection work, conducted by Simtars, will be presented.
These are:
- Investigation of circuit breaker failure
- Failures of electrical cable used in underground and open cut coal mines
- Fire Resistance and Anti-Static (FRAS) compliance of non-metallic materials used in underground coal mines
Results of incident investigation conclude with recommendations for the manufacturer or for the end user. In the examples presented, the circuit breaker failure indicated a manufacturing issue. The example associated with electrical cables indicated cable insulation being compromised probably due to cable crushing (vehicle run over) or poor handling practice. The FRAS issue indicated potential hazard for static discharge when used with compressed air in underground coal mine.
James Pearce
Advocate, Black Lung Victims Support Group
The re-emergence of Dust Diseases in Queensland’s coal industry is having a devastating effect on workers, their families and mining communities. More than 100 employees have been diagnosed as suffering from different forms of pneumoconiosis, predominantly Black Lung and silicosis. There are many more Victims being regularly identified.
While the main challenge facing our entire industry is the effective prevention of Dust Diseases in our coal mines, the identification of all Victims is a moral obligation on all stakeholders in the industry. This involves not only world’s best practice testing of the present workforce but also of those who have retired from the industry and those who have left it before retiring.
While prevention and identification of Black Lung are essential, the most pressing issue at the present time is the treatment and health care of those who have been, and will continue to be, Victims of these Dust Diseases. This paper on behalf of Black Lung Victims will outline our proposals for how the industry working with government can provide for the life-long medical care needed for the best possible quality of life for sufferers. We owe them at least that.
Tony Peirce
Exploration Superintendent; NBB Geosciences, Anglo American
Exploration activities within Anglo American’s Metallurgical Coal Business Unit occur across all its mine sites and exploration tenure. Drilling is manually intensive and highly repetitive. The use of automated drill rigs reduces manual handling and removes personnel from potentially hazardous zones.
Analyses of drilling-related incidents since 2016, highlighted the need to move towards an automated drilling solution. Several manufacturers are involved in drill rig automation and in 2018, in conjunction with drilling contractor, Gas Field Services, Anglo American introduced a completely hands-free drill rig constructed by Boart Longyear.
The Boart Longyear drill rig and associated rod loader, called a Freedom Loader is engineered to eliminate manual handling of drill rods during the drilling process and locates the driller away from the rotating drill rods at the drillhole. The rig has a tilting top drive head which simplifies rod handling through in-built tools and added functionality. Additionally, clamping devices maintain constant pressure on the rods, reducing the likelihood of dropped rods, a further hazard in working around drill rigs.
The introduction of the rig is a major step towards the removing personnel from high risk environments and the reduction of repetitive, fatigue inducing manual handling tasks.
David Pope
Principal, POPEHSE Pty Ltd
Richard Wall
CEO, EMEX
Behavioural Safety is helping many organisations make inroads into improving safety performance.
Founded on decades of psychology research, behavioural safety positively reinforces target behaviours. By interacting in a positive manner, the studies indicate behavioural change is initiated.
Interactions occur between people and is often called a ‘safety observation’. Safety observations are, in many cases, documented into a system to scoreboard the number and type of behaviours observed.
Scoreboards focus on how many observations occur, rather than why behaviours occur. Evaluating the effect of an interaction, assessing the behavioural change and its repeatability, is paramount in behavioural safety.</p .
Powerful algorithms have been developed using the latest data science techniques, to assess the effect of interventions, like safety conversations, on large groups. These techniques are widely used in Marketing/Advertising, Finance/Insurance, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, and Politics.
Safety conversations are a window into the individual interactions. With certain data, it is possible to identify positive, negative or neutral interactions, and the effect over time.
This paper presents a robust and novel approach to assess sentiment analysis of documented safety observations, to predict the persuasive effects of leaders on their groups, and the resultant safety outcomes.
Daily Introduction by Master of Ceremonies
Russell White, Managing Director, Driver Safety Australia
Welcome by Principal Sponsor – Anglo American
Tyler Mitchelson, CEO Metallurgical Coal, Anglo American
Presentation of the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference Legends Award for 2019
