NEWS Driver escapes as mine truck erupts in flames
A FIRE at Groote Eylandt’s GEMCO South 32 mine was the fourth in three years.
A haul truck caught alight at the mine earlier this month.
However, an NT WorkSafe spokesman said fires were a common hazard in the industry.
“Without downplaying the severity of any incident, vehicle fires are a common occurrence in the mining industry, with engines, wheels and brakes the most common ignition points,” the spokesman said.
“Vehicles have scheduled services and between each service, they are often operated continuously to maximise production.
“To address this hazard, the majority of vehicles in the industry are fitted with fire suppression systems and fire extinguishers. The operators are trained to use the available equipment.”
The latest fire is still under investigation by NT WorkSafe.
According to an incident report, seen by the Sunday Territorian, the fire started while ore was being unloaded from the haul truck.
The operator escaped without injury. According to the report, the cause of the fire was unknown.
The NT WorkSafe spokesman said safety on work sites was a responsibility of all workers.
“Under the model work health and safety legislation (adopted by all Australian jurisdictions except WA and Victoria), the person conducting a business or undertaking has duties to ensure health and safety at the workplace,” he said.
“Officers, workers and other persons at the workplace also have duties to ensure health and safety.”
A GEMCO South 32 spokesman said the mines’s onsite emergency services team responded immediately to the blaze.
“As with all incidents of this nature, we have advised NT WorkSafe and are conducting a full investigation,” he said. The circumstances of the fire appear similar to a June 2017 blaze at the mine in which a haul truck caught alight after it dumped a load of ore.
In that in incident, the fire suppression system activated and the operator escaped unharmed.
No injuries were reported as a result of any of the four fires, or in five other incidents involving articulated dump truck rollovers dating back to 2016.