Safety alert — fire destroys water truck 

An incident where a fire destroyed a Caterpillar 777F water truck at an open-cut coal mine on 15 October has prompted the NSW Department of Industry’s Resources & Energy division to release a safety alert with recommendations to industry.

The truck was reportedly watering a ramp leading to a production area when the operator noticed smoke in the rear-view mirror.

The operator began the mine emergency procedure via the two-way radio and continued to drive the vehicle down the ramp in the hope of driving the machine to an isolated location.

During this time, the power steering system failed; however, the operator managed to stop the truck well clear of the ramp, get off the machine and use an emergency stop to shut down the engine when he reached ground level.

The department said in accordance with site procedures, an exclusion zone was established around the machine to manage the risks associated with a tyre fire. As the fire intensified, the front right-hand tyre exploded, resulting in the wheel rim coming to rest around 100 metres from the truck.

The machine operator managed to get clear of the machine without injury.

Investigations into the cause of the incident are continuing.

Five recommendations have been released, including reviewing engineering control plans and electrical maintenance inspection procedures for heavy mining equipment.

Further detailed information regarding the safety alert’s recommendations is available on the Resources & Energy website.