27.03.2009

Queensland warns on telehandler platforms

The Queensland Mines Inspectorate has released a safety alert, warning operators of the risks associated with aerial work platform attachments falling from telehandlers or integrated tool carrier type machines.

The inspectorate says that there have been a number of incidents in which the baskets have detached and fallen from machines. The two most recent occurances were in underground mines, one of which included a fatality while the other seriously injured the two men working in the platform.

The Inspectorate said that the common factor in these incidents was that the machines were fitted with a quick hitch type mechanism which allows for the interchange of components.

These incidents occurred when the manually operated quick hitch mechanisms were not locked in place. It is advising mines to examine the use of man baskets to determine how each is attached to the host machine; review the procedures that control attaching the man basket and ensuring positive locking; and review training materials to ensure that, when lifting personnel, security of the locking mechanism is treated as a critical task.