Worker struck by 47 kg pin ejected by steam

A worker has been struck by a heavy-duty pin after it ejected unexpectedly from the rear-axle link of a CAT 797 dump truck. The worker was attempting to remove the seized pin with a lance when water travelled through the hole in the pin, contacting hot slag behind it and causing a sudden expansion of steam that turned the 47 kg pin into a projectile, according to New South Wales (NSW) Resources Regulator Chief Inspector of Mines Garvin Burns.

The worker was transported to hospital after the incident but was cleared of any serious injuries, the regulator said. The NSW Resources Regulator released the finding following a causal investigation into the incident at Ravensworth open cut coalmine in the Hunter Valley, which included input from the mine operator, equipment supplier, contract service providers and worker representatives.

The regulator recommended mine operators, equipment suppliers and contract service providers: implement strategies to eliminate or minimise risks associated with thermal lancing and identify safe standing zones for workers and review hot work permit systems, thermal lancing procedures and the system for appointing workers authorised to perform such procedures. “Mine operators should also read the Resources Regulator report into this incident for further information about what the mine has done and plans to do in response to this incident,” Burns said.

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