MPUMALANGA REGION. Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate: Monthly Regional Newsletter AUGUST Postal address, Private Bag X7279, Witbank, 1035

Transcription

1 AUGUST 2012 Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate: Monthly Regional Newsletter MPUMALANGA REGION Postal address, Private Bag X7279, Witbank, 1035 Physical address, Enquiries : Province House, cnr of Botha Ave and Paul Kruger Street, Witbank LJA Bezuidenhout Tel: Fax: loraine.coetzee@dmr.gov.za

2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE TOPICAL ISSUE OF THE MONTH Engineer in charge of machinery at more than one mine. 1. DATES FOR MINE MANAGERS AND MINE SURVEY EXAMS 2. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 2.1 Changing of Mechanical Miner water spray configuration. 3. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY 3.1 Fatal accidents DMR fatalities statistics - breakdown by regions Breakdown by commodity. 3.2 Accidents reported. 3.3 Details of accidents per mining Groups. 3.4 Accident comparison with previous years. 3.5 Table of fatal accidents. 4. AUDITS, INSPECTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS 4.1 Inspections. 4.2 Audits. 4.3 Non conformances found during audits and inspections. 5. SECTION 54/55 INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED 5.1 Compliance notices i.t.o. Section Improvement instructions i.t.o. Section Stoppage instructions i.t.o. Section EXAMINATIONS 6.1 Mine Overseers Certificates. 6.2 Lampman and Onsetters Certificates. 7. LEGISLATION 8. REGIONAL OVERVIEW 8.1 Safety achievements ANNEXURE : BRIEF ACCIDENT DESCRIPTIONS

3 TOPICAL ISSUES OF THE MONTH APPLICATION FOR AN ENGINEER TO BE IN CHARGE OF MACHINERY AT MORE THAN ONE MINE In terms of Regulation of the Minerals Act in force in terms of Schedule 4 of the Mine Health and Safety Act, a certificated engineer or competent person in charge of machinery at a mine or at a works shall not in addition be appointed in charge of any other machinery except with a written permission of the Principal Inspector of Mines. This office has certain requirement before such permission can be granted, which include, distances between the mines, number of inspections per mine in each week, the total kilowatt rating per mine and the support personnel at each mine. Deterioration of the state of machinery in cases where an engineer is appointed to be in charge of machinery at more than one mine has been noted. The Mine Manager who wishes to appoint an Engineer which is already in charge of machinery in another mine, must provide proof that a person is in training for the Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) for Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. This will hopefully compensate for the shortage certificated engineers in future. 1. MINE MANAGER S AND MINE SURVEY EXAMINATIONS: OCTOBER 2012 Mine Surveyors : 10 to 12 October 2012 Mine Managers : 15 to 18 October 2012 The venue for both examinations is the Springbok Village Recreation Club, on the Witbank - Bethal provincial road. The green bar-coded ID books and passports will be required for identification purposes. Driver s licences cannot be used. Candidates are requested to be seated 15 minutes before commencement of an examination. 2. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH No original Mechanical Miner water spray configuration must be changed without documented risk assessment and an approval from the OEM with a diagram indicating the amended water spray configuration. 3. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY 3.1. Fatal Accidents No fatal accident was recorded during the month of August 2012.

4 W Cape N Cape F State E Cape KZN Mpumalanga Limpopo Gauteng Klerksdorp Rustenburg DMR Fatalities Statistics for Breakdown by Regions January February March April May June July August September October November December Total: Grand total: 73 Breakdown by commodity. Fatalities 2012 Gold Coal Platinum Other January February March April May June July August September October November December Total: Grand total: 73

5 3.2 Accidents reported The mines in the region reported forty nine (49) accidents during August 2012, of which sixteen (16) were non casualty accidents and no fatal accident. The accidents per category were as follows: General accidents 20 Transport and mining 6 Fall of ground 3 Machinery 0 Other 4 Non-casualty 16 Total 49

6 3.3 Details of accidents per mining Groups Projected Aug 2012 Year Rate/1000 Progressive employees Coal Mines Injured Fatals Injured Fatals Injured Fatals Sasol Coal ,28 0,17 Exxaro ,12 0,26 BECSA ,42 0,31 Kangra Coal ,14 1,78 Anglo Coal ,22 0,22 Anker Coal ,30 - Xstrata Coal ,20 - Shanduka Coal ,99 - Total Coal SA ,47 0,49 Jindal Africa ,27 - Kuyasa Mining ,63 - Coal Of Africa ,28 - Sudor Coal Optimum Coal ,68 - Private Mines ,91 - Gold & Platinum Harmony Gold ,48 1,24 Aquarius Plat ,48 - Great Basin Gold ,5 - Pan African Resources ,67 0,67 Private Mines ,86 - Other Mines Private Mines ,24 - TOTAL ,84 0,22

7 3.4 ACCIDENT COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEARS FATALS DISABLED INJURIES NON-CASUALTIES TOTAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Projected % Improve % #DIV/0! % % % UNDERGROUND SURFACE OPENCAST TOTAL % % % % FOG MACHINERY T&M GENERAL OTHER TOTAL % % % % % % COAL % GOLD % PLATINUM % OTHER % TOTAL % NOTE: see attached annexure for brief descriptions of accident reports received during August 2012

8 3.5 FATAL ACCIDENTS DATE FAT INJ INSP Cont Emp Coal Gold Other 1 LANDAU COLLIERY 10-Jan 1 0 JAM Auto electrician fell down sinkhole KHUTALA COLLIERY 12-Jan 1 0 LJB Fitter pulled into belt drive pulley GREENSIDE COLLIERY 18-Jan 1 0 LJB Boilermaker pulled in under shute WOLWEKRANS COLLIERY 10-Feb 1 0 JAM LDV drove over blast attendant MIDDELBULT COLLIERY 17-Feb 1 0 MOP Sidewall fell on CM operator DORSTFONTEIN COLLIERY 15-Mar 1 0 G-B Bushcutter operator drown in dam EVANDER GOLD 10-May 1 0 LJB Elect. helper struck by guard car BARBERTON GOLD 30-May 1 0 LJB Worker struck by falling shute SAVMORE 01-Jun 1 0 MOP Driver drove Bulldozer over highwall MATLA 14-Jul 1 0 LJB Driver drove truck into sidewall TOTAL

9 4. AUDITS, INSPECTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS 4.1 Inspections: August PLANNED ACTUAL Mining inspections Occupational Hygiene inspections 9 16 Occupational Medicine inspections Machinery inspections Statutory equipment inspections 0 0 Total Audits: August 2012 PLANNED ACTUAL Group Audits. 2 0 Occupational Health Audits (Hygiene and Medical) Occupational Safety Audits (Mining and Machinery) TOTAL Non conformances found during audits and inspections: - Mining Shift boss logbooks not complying with legal requirements. Poor knowledge of spinning and holding times with regards to roofbolt installation. Certain areas not declared safe by competent A persons in various opencast operations. Sub standard barring. Unsafe high wall in opencast mine. Poor CM cutting standards creating brows. Initial examination not done to standard. - Medical No baseline risk assessment conducted. Occupational medical practitioner not appointed. Supervisors working without valid first aid certificates.

10 - Occupational hygiene Lampsman and his relief not appointed. No barometric pressure measuring device and lightning detector for an underground colliery. Insufficient gas measuring instrument spares kept. Weekly gas measuring instrument calibration records not kept. No means to measure water pressure in a conventional production section. - Engineering CM picks worn. Conveyor pullwire not working. Missing bolt from a flameproof light. Slack in the pull wire. - General Nil 5. SECTION 54 / 55 INSTRUCTIONS 5.1 Compliance notices in terms of Section 55. The following Section 55 instructions were issued during August 2012: Employer to resolve the blasting complaint from the public. Risk assessment required for mining above torbanite workings. TMM COP does not comply with the TMM guideline. No load test certificate for the lifting equipment Substandard pulley guards. Conveyor belt without pre-start alarm. Poor housekeeping in the workshop. 5.2 Improvement instruction in terms of Section 54. HT cable not insulated properly. Changehouse without water and employees provided with insufficient potable water. Drivers not licensed to operate TMM.

11 5.3 Stoppage instructions in terms of Section 54. Stop production until each CM operator and section miner are trained in the correct sumping procedure where exploration boreholes occur. Insufficient gas detection instruments and gas instrument calibration records not kept. Remove hanging rocks above the shaft entrance. 6. EXAMINATIONS 6.1 Mine Overseer Certificate of Competency Three Mine Overseer Boards were held during August Congratulations to the following successful candidates: OMJ Van Vuuren and ZF Mabena. 6.2 Lampman s and Onsetter s Certificates No Lampman or Onsetter s Boards were held. 7. LEGISLATION No new legislation updates were received. 8. REGIONAL OVERVIEW 8.1 Safety achievements Mine managers are encouraged to inform the DMR about their safety achievement so that the good news can be broadcast in this Newsletter. LJA BEZUIDENHOUT PRINCIPAL INSPECTOR MPUMALANGA REGION

12 BRIEF ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION MPUMALANGA REGION RECEIVED DURING AUGUST The flammable gas was detected in Belt road 2.6%, face 4.1% and 2.4%. 2 They were travelling in an LDV down the incline shaft when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it continued down the incline and collided with the wall at the bottom of the shaft. 3 Whilst assisting to rig a spiral chute into position, he pinched his left hand ring finger between a chute and the supporting bracket. 4 He climbed on top of the LHD, as he opened the transmission cover he slipped and fell bumping his right leg against the framework of the LHD. 5 His foot got caught between the vent door and the guard. 6 He was holding the v-pulley with the pipe wrench, which slipped and pinched his finger between the pipe wrench and the pump guard. 7 The V-belt pump pulley had rubbed against the safety guard causing friction, which in turn ignited the paint. 8 He was approaching the corner, he lost control of the forklift and it overturned, his left foot got injured. 9 Water tanker moved forward unattended and drove into a stationery LDV. 10 The exhaust and engine of the shovel caught fire and started burning, 11 He was at the compressor busy inspecting a leakage on one of the compressor pipes when the coupling tore out and the pipe struck his left hand. 12 He was struck by the cover of the shuttle car cable drum on his right index finger. 13 The truck rolled backwards and came rest on top of a demarcation tyre that was placed at the tyre bay. 14 He was in the process of lashing the footwall at the face, a rock dislodged from hanging wall and struck him on the lower back. 15 He sustained an electrical shock whilst connecting the 525v power supply cable to the sub-station. 16 He was assisting to install ventilation pipes at the decline, one of pipes slipped and his finger was caught between the suspension chain and the pipe. 17 Pillar failure causing surface Subsidence. 18 The continuous haulage was being driven out to surface. In the process he was injured when his feet was caught under the machine when it slewed unexpectedly to the side when bumped by the trailing unit. 19 He stood up from the chair, turned to walk and in the process he dislocated his right knee. 20 He was in the process of removing the cutting edge from the Front end loader, when cutting off the bolts, the cutting edge fell onto his left foot. 21 He was stepping off the mixer tank skid, when he twisted his right ankle.

13 22 He was struck by the 13m take up carriage rope when the snatch block hook failed while pulling the take up carriage. 23 He was busy carrying a Camlock Jack, he tripped and fell and sustained injury to his right lower leg. 24 He was lifting a 16mm cable with a tool and the cable bounce out of tool and fell on top of his helmet resulting in helmet striking him on the nose. 25 Methane was detected in Long pillar adjacent to a bore hole. 26 Fixed ladder of the stage was dislodged and fell to the shaft bottom. 27 A truck runs out of control. 28 While trying to close the door she unnoticing put her left thumb between the door and the frame pinching her thumb. 29 The operator of excavator was busy loading topsoil at the ramp 1, when his excavator caught fire from the engine. 30 A fall of ground occurred at the intersection of R1 split no The spindle, weighing about 3.2 tons, fell down from about 2m height and struck his right leg. 32 A major fall of roof occurred in to the belt road. 33 He was at the vertical shaft, pulling a chain block standing sideways then was hit on his right side of chest by chain block. 34 He wanted to move the maubra out of the way when the maubra run away tipped over and caused the injuries. 35 He was found lying on his back behind incomplete regulators, complaining about severe pain in his lower back on the spinal cord. 36 Whilst walking towards workshop his foot slipped underneath the rear wheel of a Dump truck. 37 Whilst walking in drive east the blast was ignited at diagonal, and he fell to the footwall. 38 Whilst supporting the roof with the goafer a piece of coal dislodge from the roof and fell onto his right hand index finger. 39 He hit himself with a 4 pound hammer on his left hand finger. 40 Transformer caught fire due circuit breaker that was wrongly installed. 41 While separating the CM cable, a piece of roof dislodged and hit him on the chest. 42 While cutting in a road with a horizontal drill hole in the face when they cut into a fault, the methane from the hole was ignited. 43 He was burnt when hot water from the radiator spilled onto him due to the pressure inside when he opened the radiator cap to refill the water level.

14 44 Whilst climbing from the vehicle, he slipped and fall from the vehicle steps. 45 He sustained lacerations to his scalp on the left hand side, when the blast was initiated % Methane was detected, when the CM tripped, whilst cutting at dyke in the belt road. 47 A fire was detected at main conveyor belt originated from spontaneous combustion of coal behind the air crossing. 48 He was busy using a cutting torch; the gas/flame from the nozzle entered his glove resulting into an injury to the left hand finger and thumb. 49 He was on his way down the stairs when he slipped on the last step, hitting back of his ankle against step and sustained a fracture to his right ankle.