Resources Safety and Health Queensland's chief inspector has reminded employers conducting crane operations that they must establish and enforce exclusion zones around the task, ensuring workers are not in danger if a load falls or changes direction.
The reminder comes after an incident in August 2023 at a Bowen Basin coal mine, in which a rigger suffered severe leg fractures. The incident occurred when mine personnel decided to use a pick and carry crane to tilt over a heavy roof of a diesel-powered surface pump for component removal.
During the manoeuvre, the load shifted, striking the rigger.
In response, Resources Safety and Health Queensland commissioned a three-minute animation of the incident to help mining staff understand and manage relevant risks.
‘In this particular incident, the worker was standing within an exclusion zone, so he was far too close to the object being moved.’