FATAL HAZARDS

AWARENESS
HANDBOOK

INTRODUCING

Our people are our most valuable asset and must

be protected from the risks of our industry and the
environments in which we operate.
To achieve this we have introduced an intervention
program to eliminate fatalities and improve
our safety performance across our operations.
The program is called SafeCoal. SafeCoal is not
negotiable.
One of the main initiatives of SafeCoal is to
demonstrate to employees and contractors
at our operations how to identify and address
the fatal hazards in their workplace.
The following handbook is intended to create
awareness around the most common fatal hazards
prevalent across our operations and some of the
key elements of the protocols to be progressively
implemented and maintained across our business.
A complete copy of the protocols will be available
in a separate Fatal Hazard Protocols document.

The loss of life or an injury at our operations is

completely unacceptable. Every person who enters
our operations has the right to finish their day and
go home safely without incident or injury.
SafeCoal means identifying our fatal hazards,
improving how we operate, changing our behaviour,
and protecting ourselves and our colleagues each
day. Without exception and without excuse.
I am asking every member of our team to use this
handbook and I believe we can make SafeCoal
a reality.

Peter Freyberg
Chief Executive
01 I XSTRATA COAL

FATAL HAZARD
PROTOCOLS
1
Strata Failure
2
Fires and Explosion
3
Mobile Equipment
4
Inappropriate Emergency
Response
5
Inrush and Outburst
6
Explosives and
Shotfiring

7
Inadequate Energy Isolation
8
Working at Heights
9
Lifting and Cranage
10
Confined Space and
Irrespirable/Noxious
Atmosphere
11
Tyre and Rim Management
12
Electrical Safety

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1
Strata
Failure
A strata failure risk assessment must be
undertaken and a Strata Failure Management
Plan developed, implemented and maintained.
The Strata Failure Management Plan must
include:

The appropriate factors of safety in the

mine and pillar design; and

The support rules or surface slope stability

rules.
No person shall enter under unsupported roof.

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2
Fires and
Explosion
Fire and explosion detection/monitoring systems
must be installed commensurate to the fire and
explosion related risk in all appropriate locations.
All fire monitoring, detection, suppression,
fire fighting and emergency response/rescue
equipment must be listed on a register.
A permit system or process must be developed,
implemented and maintained for use whenever
a fire or explosive monitoring, detection or
suppression system is off line.
Hot work must be continuously monitored
for a minimum of two (2) hours and up to
four (4) hours dependent upon the risk
after completion.

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3
Mobile
Equipment
A risk assessment must be conducted to
identify the risks associated with mobile
equipment including the interaction of
heavy and light vehicles and pedestrians.
A Traffic Management Plan must be developed,
implemented and maintained.
Operations must make rules that relate to safe
travelling and parking distances.
Operations must construct and maintain safety
berms/windrows that consider the height,
density, material type and profile to act as an
effective barrier.
Wherever possible consideration is to be given
to the separation of heavy and light vehicles,
particularly around workshops and stockpiles.

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4
Inappropriate
Emergency
Response
A risk assessment must be conducted to
identify potential emergency situations, and
an Emergency Response Management Plan
developed, implemented and maintained.
There must be adequate emergency
equipment, including escape and rescue
apparatus (readily accessible and clearly
signposted) and appropriate transport
and response vehicles.
There must be effective and robust
communication devices and procedures
for the initial notification of personnel
of the emergency situation and for ongoing
two-way communication.
Duty cards must be developed that clearly
identify each of the responsible persons, their
duties, functions and reporting relationships
in the event of an emergency.
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5
Inrush and
Outburst
An inrush risk assessment must be conducted
to identify potential inrush sources, and once
identified, an Inrush Management Plan must
be developed, implemented and maintained.
Where appropriate a geotechnical assessment
must be undertaken to determine the nature and
magnitude of potential inrush sources.
Inrush control zones (i.e. stand off distances
or barriers) must be established.
A Permit to Mine approval process must include
a requirement for pre-drilling in advance of the
mining direction for an inrush control zone.
Gas concentration levels must be at a
pre-determined acceptable level before
a Permit to Mine can be issued.

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6
Explosives
and Shotfiring
Loaded shots must be barricaded to prevent
unauthorised and/or inadvertent access by
person(s) and equipment.
Quality control measures must be implemented
and maintained for drilling, loading, stemming
and tie-up.
Exclusion zones must be established and
procedures developed, implemented and
maintained for pre-blast inspection, clearance
and sentry placement to ensure the safety of all
person(s) and equipment.
Procedures must be developed, implemented
and maintained for the loading of explosives into
hot or reactive ground.

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7
Inadequate
Energy Isolation
Operations must develop, implement and
maintain an energy isolation procedure and
relevant permits for all of the relevant energy
sources.
The energy isolation procedure must, as a
minimum, contain the 12 step process flowchart
for all isolations.
Particular emphasis must be placed on:

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Identification and dissipation of all relevant

energy sources;

Isolating and securing; and

Verification of the isolation, i.e. test for dead.

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8
Working
at Heights
Personnel must not work above two (2) metres
without appropriate guarding or fall restraint.
Personnel working at heights must not work
alone.
All safety harnesses, lanyards and accessories
must be appropriate to the type of work being
conducted and meet the relevant design
standard.
Anchorage points on apparatus should, where
practical, be above the head of the worker and
in any event not below waist level.

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9
Lifting and
Cranage
Persons must not under any circumstances enter
an area under a suspended load.
Crane/lifting equipment must have at least
20 metres clearance from all power lines unless
a risk assessment is undertaken to determine
controls to allow for operations within 20 metres.
Tag lines must be used where a load requires
steadying or guidance.
Equipment used for towing must not be used
for lifting activities.
All crane hooks must be fitted with a positive
safety catch.

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10
Confined Space
and Irrespirable/
Noxious Atmosphere
Confined spaces must be signposted.
All access to confined spaces must be in
accordance with a permit system that includes
a pre-entry risk assessment and clearly defined
conditions of entry.
Atmospheric monitoring equipment must be
used, be of an approved type, be listed on a
register, and be inspected, tested and calibrated.

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11
Tyre and Rim
Management
A Tyre and Rim Management Plan must cover
lifting, testing, maintaining and changing tyres
and rims on mobile equipment.
Tyres must be deflated to a nominal pressure no
greater than 15psi (105kPa) prior to removal.
Operations must establish a clearly demarcated
restricted work area for changing tyres and rims
to protect other personnel.
No person shall approach a vehicle within
24 hours of a lightning strike, contact with high
voltage electricity, or a tyre fire. An exclusion
zone of at least 300 metres must be established.

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12
Electrical
Safety
All electrical work must be conducted by
competent and authorised personnel.
Safe isolation procedures must be followed in
accordance with the site Isolation Procedure.
Electrical safety devices such as earth leakage
and overload protection must be installed on
all final distribution circuits.
There must be a site assessment of overhead
and underground power lines and a system
in place to control the risks.
Operations must develop, implement and
maintain a high voltage permit system.

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additional
INFORMATION

additional
INFORMATION

It should be noted that undertaking a risk

assessment and specifying competencies is a
requirement across all the Fatal Hazard Protocols.

This handbook is printed on HannoArt Silk,

an environmentally responsible paper stock
produced from FSC (mixed source) certified
pulp from well-managed forests and is EMAS
and ISO 14 001 accredited.

Risk assessment - the process of risk

identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation.
Risk causes and potential consequences must
be understood to enable personnel to implement
and maintain adequate and effective controls.
Competency - All persons conducting specific
tasks identified in the Protocols must be trained,
assessed and authorised.

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XSTRATA COAL
Level 38, The Gateway Building
1 Macquarie Place Sydney 2000
Telephone +61 (02) 9253 6700
Facsimile +61 (02) 9241 6898
www.xstrata.com