Failure to implement controls: blast exclusion zone

18 September 2012

Please see below Safety Alert from the Queensland Government

Mines Inspectorate—All mines Safety Alert No. 293 | 12 September 2012

Failure to implement controls: blast exclusion zone

What happened?

A D10 dozer was destroyed and a 996 digger severely damaged when they were hit by rocks from an overburden blast. There were no injuries to workers.

The aim of the blast was to ‘just lift’ the material and drop it back down. It was not designed as a cast blast. However, the shot, which contained 400 tonnes of explosive, moved the large block material more than 90 m.

How did it happen?

The preliminary investigation found that equipment was not excluded from the blast zone in line with the mine’s safety and health management system. As a result of this failure to enforce equipment exclusion zones, the unplanned and uncontrolled movement of blasted rock damaged the machines.

Recommendations

1. All mines review their principal hazard management plan and standard operating procedures on blasting and explosives usage to ensure their systems will prevent this type of incident.
2. All mines develop a pre-firing check sheet to help shot firers ensure all required controls are in place, especially those related to where people and equipment are relative to the blast exclusion zone.
3. All mines review blast design plans to ensure they meet the intended outcome of the blast.
4. All mines review the effectiveness of the pre-firing control check list and the blast plan after blasting.

Where communications are part of the final pre-blast controls, ensure there is a positive feedback mechanism (i.e. not just 1 way communication).

D10 dozer destroyed by rocks

Authorised by Gavin Taylor | Chief Inspector of Coal Mines
Contact: Ram Bhattacharjee, Inspector of Mines, +61 7 4967 1447
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