Site visits to were conducted to Voting Members in the Geelong area by Elizabeth Gibson and Gavin Moreira.
Members Day / Dust Management workshop in Corio including a site visit to Local Mix Quarries in Anakie.
A quarry worker was standing in an elevated pugmill (see photos below) preparing to clean the additive spray bar nozzles at the head of the pugmill. A co-worker on the ground unexpectedly started the pugmill’s hydraulic motor. The pugmill paddle shafts started rotating, trapping the worker’s left leg. He sustained fractures to his lower left leg. An investigation is ongoing. (Source: QLD Govt – Department of Natural Resources and Mines)
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An electrician was performing a low voltage (415 V AC) switching operation on a switchboard. There were problems isolating an individual switch (rated for 4,000 A). The worker attempted to operate the switch a number of times but the switch failed to open. After opening the switch panel door, he removed the glove on his right hand (Category 4 arc-flash rated) to spray an aerosol lubricant on to the tripping mechanism to free it up. The worker then tried to operate the switch by activating the tripping mechanism with a two-metre wooden broomstick. At this point there was an explosion and an arc flash. The worker received second-degree burns to his right hand. (Source: Govt of Western Australia – Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources Safety).
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A haul truck operator was hauling raw material from the extraction area downhill towards the primary plant, on a 5 percent grade haul road. The truck operator did not maintain control of the equipment when the left side of the truck climbed onto the berm causing the truck to roll onto its side. The equipment operator had his seat belt on and suffered minor injuries. (Source: MineEx Safety Alerts)
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Draft Stakeholder Engagement Strategy 2016–2018 open for public comment. This is your chance to help shape a strategy that balances the stakeholder engagement needs and expectations of all stakeholders.
Submissions must be received before midnight, Monday 16 May 2016 to be considered. (Source: Victorian State Govt – DEDJTR)
Women in Energy and Resources – International Women’s Day Breakfast Event with Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, Melbourne, Attended by Dr Elizabeth Gibson.
A new resource has been released to help employers in male-dominated resource industries such as quarrying increase gender diversity within their workforces. The Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) launched the ‘Guide to Flexible Work’ on 8 March to coincide with International Women’s Day. (Source: Quarry Magazine)
Highlighting the risks associated with removing guards and using incorrect discs on angle grinders.(Source: WorkSafe Qld)
An incident occurred on 8 January 2016 when a 13.4 tonne counterweight fell off the back of a mobile piling rig that was being assembled on a construction site in Brisbane. Of the two workers in the vicinity, one was injured and the other narrowly missed being injured when the counterweight fell. (Source: WorkSafe Qld)