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

Transcription

1 NOVEMBER 2011 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 1. TOPICAL ISSUES OF THE MONTH 1.1 OPENCAST BLASTING Lately, this office has become inundated with complaints from parties residing close to opencast mines. These complaints are normally as a result of blasting operations at the mines and it is disturbing to note that in a number of cases, blasting activities on the mine were undertaken without consultation with all affected parties. It is also noted that where blasting operations at the mines are done in a responsible manner and all affected parties are consulted with, no complaints are lodged with this Department. 1.2 INCREASED METHANE RELEASE RATES The change in ambient temperatures is often associated with dropping and widely fluctuating barometric pressures. This inevitability results in increased methane release rates not only from mined and stooped areas but also from the inert virgin coal seam itself. Mine managers are thus requested to take the necessary action to minimise this hazard. 1.3 AUDITS: 2012 A decision has been made to change the format as well as the frequency of group audits in The emphasis will be on the various Codes of Practice and the degree to which it has been implemented and general compliance with its requirements. This basically entails that a team of at least four Inspectors from this office, one from each discipline (Mining, Engineering, Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine) will be conducting audits on mines every week The proposed schedule is as follows: Dates Mines /05 Brandspruit and Thubelisha /11 Evander Gold Mines and Twistdraai /18 Khutala Colliery and Arnot Coal /25 Middelbult Colliery and Matla Coal

3 /02 Goedehoop Colliery and Bosjesspruit /08 Savmore Colliery and Droogvallei Coal /15 Kriel Colliery and Syferfontein /22 Greenside Colliery and Forzando Coal Mine /14 Delmas Coal and New Denmark Colliery /20 South Witbank Colliery and Dorstfontein Coal /23 Boschmans Colliery and Koornfontein Colliery /28 Everest Platinum and Kleinkopje Colliery It will be appreciated if a mining, engineering, occupational hygiene and medical senior official could be made available for the period to accompany the inspectors. Please ensure that each team is accompanied by a health and safety representative. The details of the audit will be discussed with the various Mine Managers in due course. 1.4 PROXIMITY DETECTORS The number of accidents as well near misses associated with moving machinery seems to be increasing throughout the industry. Often the vision of the machine operator is severely impaired due to the design and size of the machine. Most mines have a standard in place where the machines have the right of way and no persons are allowed to be in the vicinity of these machines, but it appears that is extremely difficult to enforce this standard. Mines are therefore urged to find other ways of protecting pedestrians and a proximity detector can be one of the options to consider. 2. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY 2.1 Fatal Accidents One fatal accident was recorded during the month of November A worker was injured while reclaiming the compressor house equipment when a drive shaft of a manually operated overhead crane dislodged and struck him on the head. 2.2 Accidents reported The mines in the region reported twenty seven (27) accidents during November 2011, of which one (1) was a fatal accident and one (1) was a non casualty accident.

4 The accidents per category were as follows: General accidents 11 Transport and mining 7 Fall of ground 2 Machinery 3 Other 3 Non-casualty 1 Total 27

5 2.3. Details of accidents per mining Groups Projected November 2011 Year Rate/1000 Progressive employees Coal Mines Injured Fatals Injured Fatals Injured Fatals Sasol Coal Exxaro BECSA Kangra Coal Anglo Coal Anker Coal Xstrata Coal Shanduka Coal Total Coal SA Umcebo Mining Kuyasa Mining Coal Of Africa Siphethe Coal Sudor Coal Optimum Coal Private Mines Gold & Platinum Harmony Gold Aquarius Plat Great Basin Gold Pan African Resource Private Mines Other Mines Private Mines TOTAL

6 2.4 ACCIDENT COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEARS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Projected FATALS % DISABLED % INJURIES % NON-CASUALTIES % TOTAL % % Improve 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 November 2011

7 3. AUDITS, INSPECTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS 3.1 Inspections: November PLANNED ACTUAL Mining inspections Occupational Hygiene inspections Occupational Medicine inspections Machinery inspections Statutory equipment inspections Audits: November 2011 PLANNED ACTUAL Health and Safety management systems audit. (Group) 3 3 Occupational Health Audits (Hygiene and Medical) Occupational Safety Audits (Mining and Machinery) Non conformances found during audits and inspections: Medical Employees working with expired certificates of fitness. Persons in charge of workmen not in possession of a first aid qualification. Occupational hygiene None Engineering No prestart alarm on conveyor belts and persons are still cleaning conveyor belts which are not locked out. Gas cylinders are not secured. Trackless mobile machine left idling and unattended. No bund walls around oil stores. No procedure for lifting equipment. Substations do not have emergency exit doors. Operators are not fully conversant with the requirement of pre use checklists. Poor risk assessments for certain tasks. Mine manager responsible for more than one mine without permission. Inadequate conveyor guards..

8 Mining Unsafe blasting procedures in opencast mines: This problem seems to be escalating, not only at the smaller operations but also at some of the bigger mines and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Mining within 100 metres of surface structures to be protected without notifying the DMR. Inadequate explosives management procedure. No lightning detectors. Substandard support. Substandard roof bolt installation. Poor explosives control. Sub standard barring at start of shift examination procedure. 4. SECTION 54 / 55 INSTRUCTIONS 4.1 Compliance notices in terms of Section 55. Twelve Section 55 instructions were issued in November 2011 and they include the following: A jaw crusher was stopped and an instruction issued that it must be adequately guarded. A mine was instructed to provide a brake testing ramp. Instructions were issued to provide adequate guards on screens in a beneficiation plant. A mine was instructed to appoint a certificated engineer. A TMM compliance audit scored less than 80% and the mine was instructed to rectify this matter. Trackless mobile machines not locked out resulted in an instruction to comply. A mine was instructed to ensure that the emergency door at the substation is accessible. A number of instructions were issued to various mines to comply with the memorandum on belt conveyors. 4.2 Improvement instruction in terms of Section 54. No Section 54 improvement instruction was issued in November Stoppage instructions in terms of Section 54. Six Section 54 stoppage instructions were issued in November 2011: A mine was stopped as it was mining within 100 meters from surface structures to be protected without having informed this office Hauling operations at an opencast mine was suspended due to creation excessive dust.

9 Blasting operations in an opencast mine was stopped due to non compliance with blasting procedures. A surface crusher was stopped after a serious accident. Stoppage of all work in a defunct compressor building was ordered after a fatal accident. 5. MINE OVERSEER CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY EXAMINATIONS Four Mine Overseer Boards were held during November The following persons obtained the certificate of competency:- M S Mphahlele and A B Calitz. 6. REGIONAL OVERVIEW 6.1 Safety achievements Nkomati Joint Venture - 2 million FFMS - well done. LJA BEZUIDENHOUT PRINCIPAL INSPECTOR MPUMALANGA REGION

10 BRIEF ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION MPUMALANGA REGION RECEIVED DURING NOVEMBER A worker was fatally injured while reclaiming the compressor house equipment when a drive shaft of a manually operated overhead crane dislodged and struck him on the head. 2 A screen operator lost consciousness when she sustained an electrical shock. 3 While inserting clay into an extruder, a worker sustained a severe cut of the ring finger. 4 A worker s right foot was caught between a jet fan and the side wall. 5 An assistant truck driver sustained a laceration of the left lower leg when he struck his leg against a shutter plate. 6 A worker tripped over an eye layer wall build for the purpose to manage water at drive and fell. 7 A hose mender from the make-up lateral dislodged and struck him on the left shoulder. 8 While the Fletcher was tramming back from road 1 to 2, it slipped and swung to the side, in the process the cable suspension arm struck him on the chest. 9 Whilst attempting to remove a safety pin after cleaning the screen, the screen bed came down, injuring his left foot. 10 He was barring in a transfer chute at a conveyor belt head with a hook and his hand was pulled into the grids. 11 He went to fill the bull dozer with water and when the radiator cap came off and he was burnt with the hot water. 12 He was barring a rock in a chute, the rock dislodged, he lost his balance and his left middle finger was caught between the rail mat and pinch bar. 13 He was busy aligning the 8 inch water columns and his left fingers were caught between the flanges of the two pipes. 14 Whilst positioning the crusher motor cover plate on the feeder breaker, his left hand thumb was pinched between the plate and frame of the feeder breaker. 15 He was busy installing starter bars at the seal, a piece of coal dislodged from the sidewall and struck him on his left hand. 16 He was inserting a spacer block between the sandwich pack and the bucket stabiliser when the jack slipped from the original position and his finger was caught in between. 17 A piece of coal fell and bounced off the ranging arm towards the injured and the piece of coal pinned his left leg in the cable tray. 18 She pinched her left hand ring finger when a rebar slipped whilst putting it in a vice to bend it to make a rake rod. 19 He was climbing off a LHD, when he slipped on the step and fell to the footwall. 20 Whilst busy assisting the bolter operator to plug the rig cable, he lost his grip on the rig box and it fell on his foot.

11 21 He was caught between the utility vehicle and the side wall. 22 While a worker was loading a bag of coal onto the fork of a forklift, the operator suddenly moved forward and the wheel pushed against her foot. 23 Whilst fitting the timber profile on the outside of the shutter for alignment of the winder foundation bolts, he turned to his left which caused the safety harness to tighten and twist and suspend him under his arm on the shutter causing injury to his left shoulder. 24 A sand machine pump pipe was blocked with fine sand, the pump was stopped and a hosepipe was placed inside the pipe to unblock it with water. The sand shot loose and sprayed into his face and both arms causing 1 st and 2 nd degree burns. 25 He was bending over the workbench working with a hacksaw when he felt a pain from his lower back down to his left leg. 26 While lifting a 6mm plate from the 2.5 ton trolley and loading it onto a trestle, he slipped and the plate fell on his upper legs. 27 The shaft of a snub pulley on a conveyor broke causing the belting to rub against the structure, the conveyor belt consequently ripped and with the heat created by friction the conveyor caught fire. Because managers and employers are required to sign the SAMRASS forms, they are requested to ensure that a brief, meaningful and correct description of the accidents are submitted to assist with the correct presentation of information contained in the short descriptions above.