A troughing idler failure on a conveyor roller on a coal mine's longwall main gate caused a small fire on the return belt that had to be extinguished with a hand-held fire extinguisher.
The incident happened at an underground coal mine in New South Wales.
According to the NSW Resources Regulator, a mine deputy was standing on the longwall main gate when he noticed a burning smell.
A Drager X-am gas detector was deployed, which gave a reading of 4 parts per million of carbon monoxide.
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The deputy looked for the source and found a small ball of material about 20cm in diameter burning on top of the return belt.
The regulator reminded mine operators to always have systems in place to identify and change out defective conveyor rollers.
Workers conducting conveyor inspections must also be aware of the increased risk of roller failure at high-tension areas of conveyors.
They must also check for fire risks such as material accumulation, failing or collapsed idlers and contact between conveyor belts and fixed structures.
