While heavy vehicles were relocating a stockpile during a night shift, a light vehicle entered the designated controlled mining area without following the correct process for entry. This resulted in the light vehicle colliding with a haul truck that was travelling at about 20 kilometres per hour.
After an empty haul truck passed through the single-lane controlled area, supervisors in the light vehicle assumed it was safe to enter the area and conduct a brief inspection. As they were leaving the dump site via a ramp, a loaded haul truck collided with the light vehicle. The light vehicle became entangled with the haul truck’s emergency ladder and was pushed backwards about 40 metres
down the recently watered ramp.
The haul truck only stopped when radio contact was established by the occupants of the light vehicle, who alerted the truck operator to the incident. Fortunately, no physical injuries were sustained during the collision.
Direct causes
- A light vehicle entered a designated controlled area where heavy vehicles were operating.
- The light vehicle occupants did not contact the senior operator in control of the area by two-way radio before entering the designated controlled area.
Contributory causes
- The site’s single-lane traffic management system increased the potential for a collision as it did not segregate light vehicles from heavy vehicles in the designated controlled area.
- Compliance with the safe system of work controlling the area was not monitored or enforced.
- The light vehicle occupants failed to recognise the potential collision risks when they entered the work area.
- The safe system of work did not specify separate requirements for supervisors entering the controlled area for inspection purposes.
- A procedure for accessing controlled areas had been created but had not been implemented.