A proactive inspection as part of a WorkSafe Mines Safety campaign identified inadequate guarding of a rod cage on an exploration drill, a hazard associated with several serious incidents.
During the inspection, Mines Safety staff discussed broader risk trends—including dust and chemical exposure, plant operation and maintenance, travel management, manual handling and heat stress—with site personnel. They reinforced the need for compliance with exclusion zones and isolation procedures, adherence to original equipment manufacturer instructions, completion of pre-task risk assessments, supervision for high-risk maintenance tasks and implementation of controls to prevent slips, trips and falls.
Following the inspection, the operator upgraded the guarding to meet the standard required to stop both inadvertent and deliberate access to the rotating drill rods. Furthermore, they modified the rod cage and worktable table layout to reduce entanglement risks.
Key takeaways
- Guard moving parts and comply with laws— Regulation 208(3) of the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 stipulates that bypassing or disabling of the guarding, whether deliberately or accidentally, must be as difficult as is reasonably practicable.
- Conduct risk assessments—All maintenance and high-risk tasks should be evaluated if no documented procedure exists, with competent supervisors contributing to pre-start discussions.
- Deploy skilled personnel—Only trained workers or supervisors should operate or maintain drill rigs.
- Address broader hazards—Consider dust, travel, manual handling and various environmental risk factors.
- Use safe systems of work—Fit-for-purpose equipment, clear work procedures and sitespecific hazard controls are essential.
