A multinational resources producer is examining what caused autonomous machinery to crash.
Rio Tinto wants to know exactly how a driverless train became involved in an accident after departing from the US$3.1 billion (A$4.4B) Koodaideri (Gudai-Darri) Mine, 301km south of Port Hedland.
The locomotive was transporting 20 wagons filled with iron ore when the rear carriages derailed along the 166km Gudai-Darri rail line back on 3 September 2022.
Nobody was injured since the heavy vehicle is automated. The train resumed operation after more than a week of track repairs and other clean-up work on September 11.
“Recovery of the site is complete and the line is now operational. The safety of our people and communities is our highest priority, and an investigation into how the derailment occurred is ongoing,” a Rio spokesperson said according to News Limited.
The employer has already referred the incident to the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), which sent representatives to start preliminary investigations.
“Any further investigation or regulatory action from ONRSR will be dependent on the actions taken by the operator in response to its own internal findings,” a spokesperson said according to Fairfax Media.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will not examine the incident because the train’s emergency brake was applied.
“ATSB has decided not to conduct a transport safety investigation, as it deemed it unlikely an investigation would result in the identification of transport safety issues that would provide public benefit,” a representative said according to the media outlet.
The mine is touted to be one of the world’s most technologically advanced, because it has automated trucks, trains and drills throughout. These assets are remotely monitored from an operations centre based in Perth.
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ATSB deemed it unlikely an investigation would result in the identification of transport safety issues that would provide public benefit. I’m confused as to why ATSB investigated BHP but not this. Also, accidents that clearly would have provided public benefit have been, based on their website, discontinued.
Is there a conflict of interest? The Age (12 September 2022): Transport safety commissioner owns shares in company involved in probe.