Presented By Jodie Moss

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Electrical Safety in Mines

• Presented By Jodie Moss
• 100016584

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Electricity

• Electricity is used because its simple
  distribution allows large scale operations to
  operator effectively and efficiently.
• Because of the wide scale use of electricity,
  electrical safety is extremely important to the
  industry.

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Uses for Electricity

• Electric LHD
• Electric Trucks
• Crushers
• Conveyors
• Ventilation Fans
• Shovels
• Winders

• Pumps and compressors
• Locomotives
• Computers
• Battery charging stations
• Auxiliary Lighting

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What can happen

• When people, operating
• equipment and appliances
• become live through contact
• with electrical energy it can result in
• Electrocution
• Electrical shock, severe burns and eye
  injuries
• Fires and explosions
• Death

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How Can It Happen?

• Vehicle or equipment contact with power
  lines, eg. haul trucks, raised truck trays,
  ladders, cranes, elevated work platforms,
  scaffolding.
• Water ingress to power supply components, hand
  tools, control switches, etc.
• Electrical supply is not isolated
  duringmaintenance, cleaning etc.
• Digging into buried cables
• Short circuit
• Earth faults

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• Mine Safety Fact
• Electrical arcs can reach temperatures of 10,000
  degrees.
• In addition to flash hazards, electricity
  presents shock hazards, fire and ignition
  dangers.
• Electrical hazards in mines are increased due to
  water, ground and equipment hazards.

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Prevention
Lockout tags

• Some key safety issues include
• Equipment to be installed, maintained and
• repaired by licensed electricians
• Equipment must be periodically checked and
  tested
• Isolate, tag and test equipment before
• commencing work

Personal
General
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Prevention

• Electricians must not work on live circuits
• unnecessarily
• Do not use defective equipment. Remove it
• from use, tag it out and report it
• Always use Residual Current Device (RCD)
• protection with
• hand-held tools and extension leads

• Obtain a Permit prior to any digging where
  buried cables may be present
• Adequate signage provided to hazardous areas and
  situations
• Appropriate SWPs in place and followed
• Read and discuss safety publications

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Prevention

• Cleaners should not wash or spray clean light
  switches and socket outlets
• Electric welding practices should be reviewed
  and monitored regularly
• Read and discuss safety publications
• Report all electric shocks or burns and any
  other dangerous occurrence involving electricity,
  so that action to prevent a recurrence can be
  taken

• Consider and avoid all possible contact with
  overhead powerlines

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Fatality

• Late in May 2002, a Drill Jumbo operator
  sustained a fatal electric shock in an
  underground mine after contacting 415 volt
  terminals inside an electrical control box.
• A loader operator working nearby immediately
  became aware of the accident and rendered
  assistance by pulling the deceased away from the
  control box, administering CPR and raising the
  alarm. Resuscitation continued until ambulance
  paramedics confirmed death later at the mine
  surface.
• Cause
• It appears that the deceased opened the control
  box using a special unlocking tool that was
  available to him. The deceased was not a licensed
  electrician and clearly should not have accessed
  the control box.

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Conclusion

• Electricity is a vital part of mining operations
  and electrical hazards will always be present.
• Through safe judgement and careful management
  electrical accidents can be limited and a safer
  environment is created.