Risks of underground water hazards: report

NSW Mine Safety has released an investigation report into the death of an underground mine worker which occurred in June 2014.

James Hern, 26, drowned when he entered a water-filled sump at CSA Mine, Cobar, NSW. Hern and a co-worker were attempting to clear a sump drain hole that was deliberately blocked in the preceding shifts.

The NSW Mine Safety Investigation Unit identified a number of system failures relating to the management of risks associated with underground water hazards, the supervision of employees and provision of fit-for-purpose equipment for blocking and unblocking sumps.

The report stated: “In this case, there was no risk management plan in place that considered the hazards associated with work on underground sumps and water bodies. There was no safe work procedure documented to undertake such works.”

Other issues identified in the report included a lack of safe work instructions, an absence of a proper risk assessment from higher levels of management responsible for ensuring worker safety, as well as an absence of high-level risk management controls such as hard barriers (elimination, substitution and engineering controls).

The report also stated that there were a number of water management issues at the mine before the incident “that highlight the foreseeable nature of the risks involved in this incident”.

Some of the recommendations listed in the report include:

• All underground sump drain holes should be appropriately guarded and adequately identified.
• All work involving underground sumps should be appropriately planned, risk assessed, documented and supervised.
• Fit-for-purpose equipment should be used to block and unblock sump drain holes.

For the full report and recommendations to industry, click here.

Source