Critical Risk Awareness
Don’t Gamble With Safety
Electrical – Goldstrike, October 2012
Electrical Incidents in Mining
 Electrical accidents on mine sites are rarely true
accidents and can often be fatal.
 During the last decade, 41 miners died in
accidents that could have been prevented by
ensuring that all electrical components are deenergized
Electrical Accidents in Mining
 2011: A miner with 22 years of mining experience was
electrocuted while welding to connect two pipes together.
He was working in the ceiling of the filter room of a
preparation plant. This area, where the welding was being
conducted, was wet and the illumination was limited. The
victim contacted an energized welding electrode.
 2008: A 24-year-old electrician with 4 years mining
experience was fatally injured when he cut into an
energized shuttle car trailing cable. The victim was
attempting to make an electrical repair on the shuttle car
when he used a cable cutter tool to cut into an energized
lead.
Electrical Incidents at Barrick
 Unfortunately, Barrick has not escaped electrical
incidents.
– In 2011-12 Barrick NA experienced 24 electrical
incidents.
– One of those incidents involved an electrician using an
incorrect meter to determine the voltage on a piece of
equipment. This resulted in a potentially fatal arc
flash at the point of contact.
– Another incident involved backing a water truck into a
energized overhead high voltage line.
– Energized line in cable tray cut without deenergizing.
What are we doing?
 Because of these incidents, we have introduced
changes to reduce the possibility of electrical
incidents.
– Written the NARBU Arc Flash standard
– Equipped electrical technicians with proper test
equipment
– Incorporated electrical review in all new or major
maintenance projects through the MOC (Management
of Change) process.
– Increased training for electrical maintenance personnel
to recognize risks.
Pay Attention to Electrical Risks
Summary
 Summary and Questions
– Always use proper PPE and equipment
– Perform proper Lock Out – Tag Out Procedures
– Follow the NARBU Arc Flash standard prior to
conducting all electrical work.
– Only trained and qualified personnel to perform
electrical work.
– Do proper FLRA and walk-around prior to working with
energized high voltage lines.
– Questions?