Drone footage reviewed the day after a scheduled blast revealed that fly rock almost hit a worker positioned within an exclusion zone.
Preliminary findings showed the shotfirer and their assistant were located within the exclusion zone— 160m from the blast when the site mandates at least 500m as a critical control—pre-blast inspection and siren runs were completed and blast guards were placed.
Immediate actions included suspending drill and blast activities, preserving the scene, reporting the incident to the relevant parties—site senior executive, mine management and WorkSafe—conducting a meeting to reiterate the exclusion zone to workers and initiating an Incident Cause Analysis Method investigation.
Key takeaways
- Adhere to exclusion zones—Workers must respect these boundaries, even when performing operational tasks such as siren runs.
- Conduct pre-blast checks and verifications— Multiple methods (for example, visual, electronic and drone monitoring) enable workers to confirm physical locations and procedural compliance.
- Suspend operations and preserve scenes— Essential to meet reporting requirements, support investigations and prevent recurrences.
- Reinforce critical controls—Training and safety meetings should raise awareness and increase compliance with vital measures.
