ENVIRONMENT

Haul truck has near miss with light vehicle at NSW mine

THE hazards of complex intersection design in open cut mines were highlighted when a light vehicle operator had to take evasive action to prevent a collision with a haul truck at a New South Wales coal mine site on June 28, according to the Resource Regulator.

 An accident between  a light vehicle and a haul truck was narrowly avoided at a NSW mine.

An accident between a light vehicle and a haul truck was narrowly avoided at a NSW mine.

The light vehicle was stationary and waiting to proceed through an intersection. The driver of an approaching haul truck incorrectly identified the roadway he intended to travel and turned into the roadway where the light vehicle had stopped. 
 
"When reviewing the wheel marks, the vehicles would have made heavy contact," the regulator said in an alert.
 
The light vehicle driver expected the haul truck to pass. 
 
When it did not, the light vehicle driver radioed "stop" several times and reversed. 
The haul truck driver heard the calls for "stop" and then saw the light vehicle was in front of him.
 
Pit operations had been stopping intermittently during the morning as fog was reported to be rolling in and out. Road conditions were also wet and visibility was reported to be between 50m and 100m.
 
The incident occurred on the haul truck's third load for the shift.
 
An east-west haul road intersects three other haul roads, all in a north-south orientation. All three roads were segregated, resulting in six individual roads. 
 
The incident investigation determined the haul truck driver drove onto the wrong side of the road and the travel direction on each road was segregated so there were six separate roadways in the intersection.
 
The complex intersection design resulted in all three travel paths being in the same direction.
 
"Review complex intersections and consider operator error, visibility and flow," the regulator said.
 
"Review site standards for signs and audit signs that have been installed."

 

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