The Queensland Mines Inspectorate has released a safety alert after a worker received burn injuries from a faulty electrical motor cell at a coal handling preparation plant.
According to the Inspectorate, an arc fault inside a 415V electrical enclosure caused super-heated gases to be vented from around the edge of an enclosure door, which burned an electrical worker and caused extensive equipment damage.
Personnel had previously identified areas for improvement, but recommendations had not been implemented.
The Mines Inspectorate is urging mines to ensure creepage and clearance distances are adequate in all electrical cubicles to ensure safe operation of energised apparatus.
Management should also ensure arc flash energy levels are calculated and appropriate measures are put in place to limit the extent of arc flash events.