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Abstract
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Slips, trips and falls are a common cause of occupational injury within Australian coal mines, accounting for approximately 22% of injury compensation claims. Injury severity ranges from medical expenses only, through to significant Lost Time Injuries. Fatalities are rare, but are also potential outcome of slips, trips and falls.
RISKGATE is an on-line knowledge management system which assists the coal mining industry to capture and recover knowledge related to safety and health risks. Knowledge regarding initiating events, causes and control measures has been gathered through action research workshops with industry experts and uploaded in the online database for delivery in the form of Bow-Tie analyses across a range of topic areas.
Injury narratives reported by all surface and underground coal mines in NSW over a 5 year period (10,252 narratives) were examined to identify those which involved slips, trips, or falls (1,994 narratives). These narratives were subsequently categorized according to the initiating events and causes identified in the RISKGATE Slip/Trip/Falls topic area to gain a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding and factors involved in slips, trips and falls in surface and underground coal mines.
Slips, trips and falls injuries were found to occur disproportionately in underground coal mines compared to surface mines, and most occur through slipping or tripping while moving on surfaces, platforms, ramps or stairs. The most common causal factors associated with the loss of balance on surfaces, platforms or stairs was the undertaking of operational tasks. Individual factors were rarely identified as causal factors for any of the initiating events.
Slips, trips and falls are prevalent in other high-risk industries, and the RISKGATE body of knowledge could be adapted to assist risk management practices in domains outside coal mining, such as construction, transportation and energy generation.
Language: en |