Shortly after 10am one Saturday morning, a quarry worker (John not his real name) was asked by the quarry manager (Peter not his real name) to ‘clear out the dust under the primary crusher’.
John parked the loader he was operating, and took a short handled shovel and climbed onto the crusher and shovelled the deck clear.
After clearing the crusher deck, John noticed that dust had built up around the return idler roller above his head. When John used the shovel in an attempt to clear the accumulated material around the roller, the shovel got caught in the ‘nip point’ between the roller and the rubber belt, which was still operating. The shovel sprung upwards, jamming John’s arm between the shovel and the belt.
John sustained serious injuries including a broken collarbone and ribs, punctured lung, fractured finger and abrasions. Clearly, this was a serious accident, but thankfully John received prompt medical treatment and has subsequently returned to work.
Now, let’s look at how this accident happened and what you can do to prevent similar incidents in your own operations.
Dust build-up
It is quite normal for dust to build up around quarry and mining equipment, particularly around conveyors, as the fine material settles out in any available gaps or crevices. Improved design, close fitting seals where possible and good equipment maintenance can help.
Guarding of rollers
At the time, the idler roller was not fully enclosed along both sides, which allowed John to insert the shovel into the in running nip point. Plant safety regulations in each state require ‘guarding to prevent access to the hazard point’ this is Regulation 705(1) of the Victorian OHS plant safety regulations.
Machine isolation
An important part of any plant safety system is strict use of the isolation procedure, where the equipment is turned off and locked out before any person is allowed to access any hazardous parts of machinery.
Training and instructions
John had received a documented safety induction when he commenced employment at the quarry. However, the instructions where not specific about precautions necessary (for example isolating plant) when clearing accumulated dust around equipment.
Comprehensive safety inductions that document the instructions and specific precautions for each task are vital.
Safety inspections
The regular safety inspections that were in place prior to the accident did not identify the missing guards on the idler roller. Safety inspection checklists need to be specific enough to convey the standard required, and training must be provided for those expected to conduct the inspections.
Supervision and enforcement of rules
Supervision and enforcement of safety rules were largely informal at the time of the accident, and the company’s policy on machine isolation was silent about whether the plant had to be stopped and locked out before clearing dust from around machinery.
Clear policy statements are needed to instruct all workers, to ensure equipment is isolated before accessing any operating plant areas.
Conclusions
The worker involved in this accident suffered traumatic injuries, and the small quarry business suffered significant business interruption, prosecution by the Department of Primary Industries for ‘unsafe systems’ and ‘inadequate guarding’, and unbudgeted costs including fines of $14,000.
Understanding the legal requirements for plant safety and implementing clear rules and training for all routine and expected tasks are now essential for all quarry businesses.
Actions taken
This quarry acted quickly, and among things, did the following;
? Fully enclosed this and all other guards
? Installed a safety fence around the primary crusher deck
? Locked access gate to the crusher deck
? Placed reminder signage to shut down equipment before entry
? Organised a safety meeting with all employees to review the incident and reinforce the rules
? Revised the plant risk assessments
? Increased safety signage across the site
? Upgraded safety inductions and training program
? Revised the safe operating procedures and manual
? Revised the job safety analysis (JSA) forms and process
Gary Rowe is the chief executive officer of Safety Action, a company specialising is workplace safety and business risk. This article was prepared with the assistance of Peter Wilson of Nevett Ford lawyers.