South African copper mine conveyor fire
Mines safety alert no. 357
What happened?
On Sunday 15 July 2018, six mine workers in a South African underground copper mine died in a
refuge chamber as a result of a fire on a conveyor.
Source: minex
How did it happen?
While the incident is still under investigation, there are a number of matters relevant to all underground operations that have so far been identified, including:
? A refuge bay/chamber located near the conveyor was unable to supply or maintain a life
sustaining atmosphere.
? Some of the services installed in the refuge bay were not fire resistant or fire protected.
? The refuge bay/chamber was the only one in the area for a distance of 1400m.
? The fire suppression system installed on the conveyor was not interlinked with the operation
of the conveyor.
? The conveyor could operate even if the fire suppression was faulty or lost water charge.
? The available water pressure/flow to the conveyor fire suppression system was inadequate.
? Routine inspections of the refuge chamber and fire suppression system prior to the fire failed
to identify or address these issues.
Recommendations:
Site senior executives and underground mine managers should ensure that:
? refuge bays/chambers and fresh air bases in their operations are able to supply and maintain
a life sustaining atmosphere in the event of an underground fire
? services which supply these are fire resistant and/or protected from a likely fire source
? any refuge bays/chambers used are located so that personnel can access them or make their
way to them in the event of an underground fire
? there is a rigorous system of inspection and testing in place for refuge bays/chambers and
fresh air bases that ensures in the event of an underground mine fire they are capable of
maintaining a life sustaining atmosphere until the mine atmosphere is safe or personnel can
be rescued
? installation, maintenance and inspection of fire suppression systems on plant and equipment
for use underground is undertaken by trained and competent persons
? fire suppression systems on plant and equipment for use underground are installed, inspected
and maintained so that:
o Persons are warned if the system is faulty or has lost charge
o Where practicable, they are interlocked so that the plant and equipment cannot operate without adequate fire protection.
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