Mine safety watchdog issues directives against Saraji mine

The mine safety watchdog has cracked down on another of global mine giant BHPs major open cut operations, suspending operations for working near bodies of water and calling out supervisor competencies.

The mine safety watchdog has cracked down on another of global mine giant BHPs major open cut operations, suspending operations for working near bodies of water after a fatal hazard was identified more than four years after a dozer driver drowned in a pool of mud and water.

Resources Safety and Health Queensland has also called out supervisor competencies in a Mine Record Entry that lists a number of major safety issues at Dysart’s Saraji mine, and comes the same month mine inspectors suspended haul truck operations at Peak Downs mine. 

Among those is a “fatal hazard” linked to working near bodies of water which comes 4.5 years after Gracemere father Allan Houston drowned in a pool of mud and water at the site after the dozer he was operating at the mine rolled 18m down an embankment on December 31, 2018.

The safety concerns were raised in August prompting acting regional mine inspector Paul Brown to earlier this month issue multiple directives to the mine’s site senior executive.

December 31, 2018: Allan Houston fatally injured when his bulldozer turned over at BMA’s Saraji Open Cut Coal Mine, near Moranbah.

The MRE, viewed by this publication, states this includes suspending all operations working near bodies of water until any risk has been reduced, which has a directive deadline of October 31.

“The SSE is given a directive to suspended operations covered by the sites section 93 system for working near bodies of water or other liquid, this shall remain in place until the SSE can demonstrate to an inspector the risk being within acceptable limits and as low as reasonable achievable,” the MRE states.

A concern was also raised in relation to a tractor working across slopes “near a body of water had insufficient controls in place to manage the risk, to be clear this is a fatal hazard”, the MRE states.

It further add the “job safety analysis” was “deficient to manage the risk and reviewed”.

“A JSA is a good tool to manage hazards and manage change, it is my belief that if used as the primary tool to manage fatal risk then the system is flawed and inadequate,” Mr Brown said in the MRE.

BMA's Saraji Coal Mine in the Bowen Basin.

Another directive was in relation to the “competencies of supervisors” at the mine.

“The directive is specifically for checking records of persons at the mine appointed as supervisors and OCEs (open cut examiners) are current, authentic, valid and sufficient for their appointment,” the MRE states.

The SSE was also given a directive to review the mine’s safety and health management system “to address the deficiencies in supervision at Saraji Mine”, and develop an action plan to address “root cause or contributing factors involving less than adequate supervision, this includes statutory appointed persons at the site”.

The SSE must also review the SHMS for emergency equipment, condition, location, capability and inspection regime after essential emergency response recovery equipment including slings and soft shackles were found to be unfit for use.

A spokesman for the mine said they were committed to operating safely.

“We continuously review and update our safety processes and procedures,” the spokesman said.

“RSHQ conducts regular inspections of sites across the industry and we work constructively with them to identify and address potential safety risks.

“During routine inspections Saraji identified a potential hazard and are using our existing risk management process in line with RSHQ’s directive.”