Summary of incident
In January 2017, the driver of a service vehicle was travelling along a haul road to a satellite pit to deliver fuel. The area had experienced overnight rain, and the driver lost control of the loaded vehicle. The light vehicle mounted a verge and rolled onto its roof.
The vehicle’s radio aerial was damaged in the rollover and the driver, who was unable to walk due to serious injuries, could not raise an emergency call. Use of the haul road had been restricted because of conditions, he was discovered two and a half hours later by a passing worker who raised the alarm. The driver’s absence had gone unnoticed by his work colleagues.
There was a delay in the arrival of the emergency responders before the driver was taken to a regional hospital for treatment.
Direct causes
- The vehicle rolled.
- The driver was unable to call for assistance due to the damaged radio aerial and absence of a back-up communication system.
Contributory causes
- There was no procedure or policy to account for workers travelling between satellite pits and the mine.
- The ambulance was unavailable and the back-up ambulance had to be jump started.
- The emergency rescue team were unfamiliar with the site and did not know the way to the incident location.
- The vehicle was fitted with mismatched tyres, not driven to conditions and overturned on a section of road with excessive camber that was not sheeted with gravel.