Worker's arm entangled at quarry site

Background

An employee was injured while performing maintenance activities on a large operating rotary dryer. The employee was close to the main drive gear of the rotary dryer when their right arm became entangled. The employee's arm was partially amputated. The main drive gear was approximately 230mm wide.

Safety issues

Mining and quarry sites may present significant risks to the health and safety of employees, including access to danger areas of plant such as rotary dryers. Body parts can be entangled, crushed, or amputated and fatalities can occur.

Identify hazards

Mine and quarry operators must identify all hazards at mine or quarry sites and assess the associated risks. This includes risks posed by mining and quarrying plant including rotary dryers.

Recommended ways to control risks

The hierarchy of control, which is a system for controlling risks in the workplace, helps employers to eliminate or reduce risks at work.

To control risks associated with plant at mining and quarry sites, the following is recommended:

• prevent access to danger areas by installing suitable guarding
  • if access to the danger area is not necessary during operation, maintenance or cleaning, the guarding must be a permanently fixed physical barrier
  • if access to the danger area is necessary during operation, maintenance or cleaning, the guarding must be an interlocked physical barrier. Access must only be allowed at times when the area does not present a risk. The barrier must prevent access at all other times.
  • if it is not reasonably practicable to use a fixed or interlocked physical barrier, the guarding must only be able to be altered or removed using tools
  • if it is not reasonably practicable to use any of the above, use a presence sensing safeguarding system
• conduct pre-use inspections of all plant
• conduct maintenance in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations
• provide information, instruction, and training to employees regarding the operation, inspection, maintenance, and isolation of plant
• provide and maintain safe systems of work for isolation of plant (known as 'lock out tag out')

Consult with employees

Mine and quarry operators must regularly consult with employees and any health and safety representatives when identifying, assessing and controlling risks. Employees can provide important information about what risks look like in their work. This will ensure all aspects of risk are considered.

Legal duties

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to the health of employees, including labour hire personnel and independent contractors. This means employers must eliminate the risks associated with plant, so far as is reasonably practicable. If the risk cannot be eliminated, it must be reduced, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Employers must also provide employees and independent contractors with the necessary information, instruction, training or supervision to enable them to do their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health.

Where plant is used in the workplace, employers also have duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations). Employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable:

• identify all hazards associated with the use of plant at the workplace
• control risks in accordance with the plant hierarchy of control
• ensure the plant is inspected to the extent necessary to ensure that risks associated with its use are regularly monitored

Under the OHS Regulations mine operators must also:

• identify all mining hazards at their mine and assess associated risks, so far as is reasonably practicable
• implement risk controls that eliminate or reduce risks, so far as is reasonably practicable
• establish and implement a safety management system for the mine, which provides a comprehensive and integrated management system for all identified risks
• consult with employees when identifying mining hazards and assessing risks