The New South Wales mine safety body has issued a series of recommendations to mitigate risks linked with ventilation infrastructure, following a serious incident at an underground coal mine in Wollongong.

While undertaking planned ventilation change works involving a set of double machine doors, a worker became trapped between the doors, according to the NSW Resources Regulator.

In its safety alert, the regulator noted that during the change workers opened a set of double machine doors to redirect airflow. Due to high pressure on the doors, mechanical assistance was needed, using a load haul dump (LHD) and man basket to open the inbye doors. After the first set of doors was opened and secured, the right-hand door of the second set was opened by chaining it to the LHD’s man cage and reversing the machine to break the seal, while the left-hand door appeared to be secured to the rib.

As workers began unchaining the right-hand door, the left-hand door unexpectedly came loose and swung shut, trapping one of the workers between the two doors. The worker remained pinned for up to two minutes before being freed by a colleague using improvised methods.

Aiming to address these hazards and prevent future occurrences, the regulator is advising the mining industry to adopt numerous recommendations.

All mine operators should, according to the regulator, develop formal, documented procedures for securing double doors in instances where both doors are required to be open at once.

They must identify and control line-of-fire hazards associated with high-pressure ventilation infrastructure through defined exclusion zones and task sequencing, and ensure door restraints and securing methods are engineered, fit-for-purpose, and verified before work begins.

Operators should also train relevant personnel in using any mechanical aids, securing devices, and safe work practices for handling high-pressure ventilation systems.

Finally, the alert suggests the inclusion of hold points in procedures to verify critical controls are in place before progressing through each stage of the task.