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SAFETY REGULATORS HAVE MADE SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN UNLIKELY ON-SITE THREAT: HOSES.

It may seem obvious, but hoses are a major staple on mine sites, used for dozers, drill rigs, and longwall systems. They are such regular fixtures, in fact, that most people rarely give them a second glance.

While it may be easy to ensure the correct hose is selected for a job, or to stay on top of maintenance and servicing, the safety hazards they present can escape notice just as easily.

And hoses can indeed pose a safety threat. More specifically, hoses fitted with lever handle ball valves, which are common on mine sites and have injured workers on multiple occasions.

The lever on the business end of the hose is easy to snag and inadvertently activate, suddenly releasing pressurised water or air and causing the hose — with its heavy metal head — to flail dangerously.

A recent safety bulletin from the New South Wales

Government reported two such hoserelated incidents.

“A deputy was filling a load haul dump (LHD) with water on 20 April 2023,” the bulletin reported. “While passing the hose across the LHD, the handle of the ball valve attached to the free end of the hose activated, causing the hose and valve to flick back (and) striking the deputy’s nose and glasses. The deputy suffered a laceration to the nose.”

And in the same week, another worker was injured by a hose while washing out a concrete kibble.

“The worker turned the hose off at the ball valve, placed it on the kibble and while climbing onto the kibble, the hose moved, activating the ball valve,” the bulletin stated.

“The hose and valve flung back, cutting the person’s forearm.”

Part of the issue is that the level-style handle of ball valves requires only 90° of rotation to achieve full flow.

This style of hose is designed for being fixed to solidly mounted pipework, which allows for quick activation.

But workers aren’t isolating hoses at the fixed valve and dissipating pressure from the hose. Instead, they’re typically turning off the valve at the discharge end of the hose, and leaving the hoses charged with pressure.

Some ball valves are fitted with a slider lock; however, this is a gravity slide and the orientation of the valve may render this control ineffective.

A similar hose incident occurred in South Australia when a jumbo operator installed a dewatering pump.

The operator ran over the dewatering pump link hose, causing the hose connection to fail. This in turn made the hose to fling back under pressure, striking a worker and leading to serious facial injuries.

In extremely serious cases, hoses that carry chemicals may fail and cause significant burns. Such an incident occurred in 2015 when a worker in Western Australia was involved in a routine purging operation as part of scheduled maintenance of an ammonia storage area of a processing plant.

The worker connected a flexible rubber hose via coupling to a purge connection point, and the hose was charged with nitrogen as the valve was slowly opened. The hose ruptured above the connection point, spraying the worker and enveloping him in a cloud of ammonia.

The worker was subsequently airlifted to hospital and treated for chemical burns.

So what can mine operators do to combat the tyranny of hoses?

The NSW Government makes several recommendations, including:

• identify ball valve hoses as a known hazard

• review alternatives to the use of ball valves attached to the free end of hoses

• retrain supervisors and workers in hazards associated with hose whip from inadvertent activation of a hose

• ensure workers check the operating condition and function of the hose valves before use

• depressurise hoses when not in use.

Safe Work SA also recommends that hoses are installed as per manufacturer’s instruction, hoses that have exceeded service life are replaced, and that the hose itself is free of twists.

To prevent hose fitting injury, Safe Work SA recommends the hose is:

• not subjected to excessive pressure surges

• free of crimping

• installed correctly

• not bent below the recommended minimum radius

• free of wear and tear

• not exposed to high temperature surfaces.

If these recommendations are impractical, the Safe Work SA bulletin recommends fitting hoses with nozzles that will not engage without direct involvement by a worker such as trigger handles or twohanded controls.

While hoses may seem like an unlikely threat on a mine site, the fact remains that they can cause serious injury and proper precaution must be taken to ensure worker safety.

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@SAFETOWORK.COM.AU

LIFE OF MINE CONFERENCE 2023 BRISBANE | AUGUST 2–4

AusIMM and the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals’ Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR) are welcoming attendees back to the highly successful Life of Mine Conference 2023.

The conference welcomed a record number of attendees from over 15 countries in 2021 and is set to bring a wider global audience in 2023. Join professionals, researchers, government, and academia from a diverse range of sectors as the program explores the full lifecycle of a mine, from exploration to rehabilitation.

Delivered in-person and online, this technical conference addresses current and future challenges affecting the mining value chain and will present leading examples of sustainability in mining.

• ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/ mine-waste-and-tailings

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SAFETY SEMINAR 2023 SYDNEY | AUGUST 2–3

The Mechanical Engineering Safety Seminar (MESS) is returning in 2023. The NSW Resource Regulator is proud to be hosting the 31st annual event and is seeking experienced and enthusiastic presenters. The seminar will be held on August 2–3 at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. Delegates will only be able to attend in person; there will be no online broadcast of this event.

This is an excellent opportunity to share experience, insight and learnings with mechanical engineers from across the NSW mining industry.

• resourcesregulator.nsw.gov.au/newsarticles/call-for-speakers-mess-2023

DIGGERS & DEALERS KALGOORLIE | AUGUST 7–9

Diggers & Dealers combines 70 corporate presentations by listed mining and exploration companies with a large exhibition housing more than 150 exhibitors from the sector.

Delegates include miners, explorers, brokers, bankers, investors, financiers and mining service industries from around the world.

The event provides a unique opportunity for industry professionals to meet and network, visit regional mine sites, engage with media, raise finance, invest in projects and engage with the resources sector at an executive level.

An entertainment program ensures delegates experience the best of the style and hospitality of Kalgoorlie, the unofficial gold mining capital of Australia.

• diggersndealers.com.au

AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS BRISBANE | NOVEMBER 9

Taking place in Brisbane in 2023, the Australian Mining Prospect Awards are a great opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the people and companies in the mining sector for their outstanding work. Having celebrated the 2022 Prospect Awards winners, nominations are now open for 2023, with awards in categories such as Indigenous and Community Engagement, Mine Project Success of the Year, Outstanding Mine Performance, Sustainability Project of the Year, Discovery of the Year, and more.

Some 2022 award winners included Kestrel Coal for Australian Mine of the Year, Roy Hill for Mine Project Success of the Year, and Flexco Australia for Excellence in IIoT Application.

The awards return to Brisbane in appreciation of the vibrancy of the state’s mining industry.

• prospectawards.com.au

CRITICAL MINERALS CONFERENCE 2023 PERTH | NOVEMBER 21–23

Critical minerals are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles.

The increasing appetite and rapid pace of the transition to cleaner energy sources continues to drive the growth in demand for these minerals, and in response the supporting industries are also growing at unprecedented rates.

To address this rapid growth, AusIMM will launch its inaugural Critical Minerals Conference in 2023.

The event will include a multi-stream format and seek to engage with a larger audience from multiple disciplines as well as a wide range of industry representatives.

• ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/ critical-minerals/