The operation of mobile equipment and the interaction between plant, vehicles and pedestrians on mining roads present many hazards and risks to the safety of workers. Traffic management is therefore a major consideration in the planning and design of any mining operation.
To aid in the effective management of site traffic, mine operators should ensure a traffic management plan (TMP) is prepared for each specific mining operation which forms part of the mine safety management system and the mine’s principal mining hazard management plan. Your TMP should address road and intersection design, signage, road rules, human factors, vehicle selection, maintenance of plant and road infrastructure, operating procedures, training, supervision, inspections, auditing and change management.
As part of its investigations into notifiable and reportable incidents related to traffic movement, WorkSafe Mines Safety has identified controls for the most common causes and factors involved in mining traffic related incidents. Mine operators should consider these when preparing a TMP.
Always consider driver’s line of sight and visibility
The driver’s line of sight should be considered when designing roads, ramps and intersections, windrow heights near intersections, and in the placement of signs and lighting including around corners and over crests. Technology that assists driver’s vision by eliminating blind spots and alerting operators to the proximity of vehicles or pedestrians in the operator’s blind spot should be considered in the selection of mobile plant and vehicles. Y intersections should be replaced with T intersections to ensure clear visibility at intersections.
Demarcation on road edges
Road edges, tight curves, windrows, bunds, culverts, berms, traffic islands and road intersections all need to be clearly delineated. Two recent major incidents occurred due to haul trucks driving over windrows that were not delineated.
Road construction and design
To prevent plant and vehicles skidding, sliding or rolling-over, road design and construction should provide well-drained and stable base layers, with hard and smooth running surfaces that reduce both skidding and dust. Roads must be properly maintained and graded on a regular basis, and overwatering should be avoided particularly on gradients.
Human and organisational factors
Many incidents occur due to uncontrolled movement of traffic. Drivers should be aware of the risk of distractions, fatigue, inattention or not driving to conditions. Understanding the way traffic interacts and is managed on mine roads is vital to the safety of workers. Mine operators must ensure that all risks and hazards have been properly identified and robust controls implemented and continually checked to maintain and improve mine traffic safety.
Further information
Further informationThe Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 provides further detail on the requirements for mobile plant and traffic management on WA mines.
The updated Traffic management fundamentals audit is available from the WorkSafe website.
