Case study 

Avoiding collisions in underground mines

Burgess-Limerick R.
Ergonomics Australia – HFESA 2011 Conference Edition, 2011 11:44.

Abstract

Background: Collisions between vehicles, and between people and equipment, are a high risk in underground mines, and particularly coal mines. The consequences include serious injury and fatalities. The prevention of collisions has recently been a focus of attention by regulators in NSW and Queensland; and particularly the promotion of technological solutions for alerting equipment operators to the proximity of other vehicles, equipment, or people. Aims: This paper examines reports describing fatal underground collisions occurring in the USA to determine the likely benefit of a range of control measures. Method: All fatalities involving collisions in underground coal mines in the USA since 2000 were identified. A series of mini-case studies are presented, adapted from the publicly available reports of these fatalities. Results and conclusions. The case studies illustrate that restricted visibility is implicated as a causal factor in many fatalities, suggesting that control measures such as the provision of video cameras, and proximity detection linked to warning tones may be effective barriers in some situations. A significant number of fatalities were also noted in which the person operating the equipment was killed, or where the operator of the equipment was aware of the location of the person who was killed. In these situations, provision of video cameras, or proximity detection linked to a warning tone alone, may not be sufficient. The role that directional control-response incompatibility may play in some situations was also noted.

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