Background
Many activities at a mine are undertaken by a person where verbal or visual communication with other employees is not possible. Under these circumstances the person is considered to be working alone, and the potential risk of an existing hazard is increased — possibly to a level necessitating extra precautions.
A number of incidents involving people working alone with corrosive substances have occurred in the past few years. Recently, there was a serious incident involving a process operator who became separated from his two-way radio, thereby removing the only means by which he could contact emergency services for assistance.
Summary of hazard
Operators working with or near large volumes of corrosive substances are at risk of being engulfed should a loss-of-containment event occur. During such an event, they may lose communication and an alternative means of contact may not be available.
Contributory factors
Any of the following could affect communication procedures that rely on two-way radios:
- the initial rush of solution unbalances the operator and separates them from their two-way radio
- the operator removes contaminated clothing and, inadvertently, their two-way radio
- the operator's vision is impaired by corrosive solution entering their eyes as they remove contaminated clothing
- the operator is, for a long period, unwilling to leave the safety shower.
In these scenarios, the operator cannot use their two-way radio to contact emergency services.