New Zealand Extractive Industries Mining, Coal Mining, Quarrying and Tunneling ~ Serious Harm Accident Summary 1999

Definitions

Serious Harm means death or

1. Any of the following conditions that amounts to or results in permanent loss of bodily function, or temporary severe loss of bodily function: respiratory disease, noise-induced hearing loss, neurological disease, cancer, dermatological disease, illness caused by exposure to infected material, decompression sickness, poisoning, vision impairment, chemical or hot metal burn of eye, penetrating wound of eye, bone fracture, laceration, crushing.
2. Amputation of body part.
3. Burns requiring referral to a specialist registered medical practitioner or specialist outpatient clinic.
4. Loss of consciousness from lack of oxygen.
5. Lack of consciousness, or acute illness requiring treatment by a registered medical practitioner, from absorption, inhalation, or ingestion, of any substance.
6. Any harm that causes the person harmed to be hospitalised for a period of 48 hours or more within 7 days of the harm’s occurrence.

SHIFR means Serious Harm Injury Frequency Rate, which is the number of serious harm injuries per millions of hours worked.

Table 1: Classification by Source - All Surface Mines and Quarries

Struck by falling object	5
Struck by moving object	4
Struck by stationary object	2
Slipping/falling	1
Falling from height	8
Handling materials	1
Body stressing	0
Exposure to fumes/dust	0
Submersion in water	0
Exposure to heat	1
Exposure to sound	1
Caught in machinery	5
Total	28

Table 2: Classification by Source - All Mines, Coal Mines, Quarries and Tunnels

Struck by falling object	11
Struck by moving object	6
Struck by stationary object	4
Slipping/falling	1
Falling from height	9
Handling materials	5
Body stressing	0
Exposure to fumes/dust	1
Submersion in water	0
Exposure to heat	1
Exposure to sound	1
Caught in machinery	5
Total	44

Table 3: All Surface Mines and Quarries - Classification by Body Part

A Head:	3
B Eye:	0
C Body:	2
D Back:	2
E Leg:	2
F Foot:	4
G Hand:	6
H Arm:	4
I Internal:	1
J Mutiple:	3
K Senses:	1
Total:	28

Table 4: All Mines, Coal Mines, Quarries and Tunnels - Classification by Body Part

A Head:	3
B Eye:	1
C Body:	2
D Back:	6
E Leg:	2
F Foot:	10
G Hand:	9
H Arm:	5
I Internal:	1
J Mutiple:	3
K Senses:	2
Total:	44

Table 5: All Mines, Coal Mines, Quarries and Tunnels - Major Serious Harm

DATE	OPERATION	INJURY	COMMENT	No	S*	BP*
7th January	Harker Construction – Swanson St Tunnel	Fracture of a lower vertebra	Struck by fall of ground	1	A	D
27th January	Martha Gold Mine	Broken lower right leg	Struck by a log which was being moved by an excavator during site clearing	1	A	D
3rd February	Wairaki No 6 u/g Coal Mine, Solid Energy	Broken bone in back	Coal burst off rib	1	A	D
8th February	Wairaki No 6 u/g Coal Mine, Solid Energy	Broken bones in neck	Coal fall from rib	1	A	D
15th June	Fulton Hogan, Warnock Rd Quarry	Occupational hearing loss	Exposure to noisy crushing plant	1	K	K
16th July	Belmont Quarry	Broken pelvis and internal injuries	Caught between crane and container	1	L	J
4th August	Te Matai Pit	Punctured femoral artery	Log slipped from bucket and pinned operator against his seat	1	A	E
23rd September	Martha Mine Construction Site	Fatal	Run over by tractor/crane machine	1	B	I
15th October	Milburn NZ Manakau Quarry	Head injury – unconsciousness	Struck on head by rockfall	1	A	A
26th October	Midway Quarry	Multiple injuries	Struck by collapse of crane	1	A	J

*S = Source
*BP = Body Part
(see tables 1 and 6 for classifications)

Table 6: All Surface Mines and Quarries

	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
No. Persons	3095	2969	3175	3303	3108	3103	3215
No.	21	12	18	22	19	15	28
Frequency Rate	2.71	1.62	2.27	2.66	2.45	1.93	3.48
Incidence Rate	0.68	0.40	0.57	0.67	0.61	0.48	0.87

Table 7: All Mines, Coal Mines, Quarries and Tunnels

	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
No. Persons	3750	3690	3950	4171	4179	4179	3861
No.	27	22	27	35	32	34	44
Frequency Rate	2.88	2.38	2.37	3.36	3.06	3.25	4.56
Incidence Rate	0.72	0.60	0.68	0.84	0.77	0.81	1.14