2018 Conference Presentations

Francesco Mele & Joseph Guinea
BMA & JJ&D Innovations

Robert Cohen, MD – Clinical Professor, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

In continuing with the desire from industry to share in key learnings from site-related incidents and following on from the themes of previous conferences, this session will be an open forum from people (within the industry) who will be talking about key issues and challenges faced at times on their site.

This session will be a grass roots session without “spin”. A simple presentation outlining what occurred and what changes have been implemented to ensure that things are being done differently. It is for you to consider the relevance to your site and determine if you have a similar exposure, and the controls in place to reasonably preclude a similar event.

Facilitator: Damien Wynn, General Manager and Senior Site Executive, AngloAmerican - Grasstree Mine

Sharing their Experiences:

Grader Fatality Incident and Tree Felling Multiple Injury Incident

Paul Stephan, General Manager and SSE, Anglo American Moranbah North Mine

North Goonyella Spontaneous Combustion Event

Peter Baker, Senior Vice President, Underground Operations, Peabody Australia

Drill Rig Incident at Bulgar Open Cut, New South Wales

Jeff Kelly, Operations Manager, Glencore

Michael Lennon – Mechanical Technician
Glen Jacob – Mechanical Technician, Evolution Mining – Mt Rawdon

Jon Noble – Health Safety and Training Manager, Glencore – Clermont Open Cut Mine

The Problem

In February 2017 a Coal Mine Worker (CMW) was injured when a hydraulic hose fitting failed under pressure during the use of a hydraulic flow meter. The CMW was positioned inside the pump room and was undertaking the task of a hydraulic tune up. The task requires a calibrated flow meter to be installed in line with the main hydraulic pump system to read the hydraulic flow and pressure the machine is producing. The operator of the flow meter is required to manually adjust the flow meter by hand and watch the pressure and flows on the meter, making it impossible to be out of the line of fire. On the day of the incident a hydraulic fitting failed at the flow meter under 50bar of pressure and shot back contacting the maintainer in the knee luckily only causing minor bruising. During testing procedures the maximum pressure ranges up to 300bar.

The Solution

The implementation of a data logging system that reduces the need to have a person inside the pump room during hydraulic testing. There are two pumps to each main pump. Each pump can now be “turned on” remotely via an electronic remote control. The first individual pump can be cycled and loaded through all curves required to satisfy testing and the change to test, then the second pump can be tested via the flick of a switch. Load to the pumps is applied proportionally through a remote control lever on the test box remote and the pump performance can be seen by the operator outside of the pump room. If adjustments need to be made to the pump regulators the pump is destroked to minimum flow and
to standby pressures using the remote control lever. Once the adjustments have been made the operator can once again remove themselves from the high pressure hose area inside the pump room and return outside and complete the tests again.

David Roberts – Maintenance Fitter
Dave Champion – HSET Manager, Peabody-Millennium Mine