Category: Uncategorized

The drill crew were preparing to remove the slips table from the drill deck using a jib winch and lifting chains. While the chains were being raised to remove slack and adjust for an even lift, one of the chains became tangled. The Drillers Assistant noticed the issue and signalled to stop the lift, but…

Injury – A drillers assistant was disconnecting an inner tube from the overshot when the tube dropped, pinching their left hand against the drill string and causing a laceration. In February 2025, a medically treated injury occurred at a surface drill. During a routine tube retrieval task, a driller’s assistant sustained a laceration to their…

The Department of Transport Driver and Vehicle Services in WA ( https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/) pulished the following Vehicle and Standards Circular to Industry – Safety Chains and Shackles for Trailers under 4.5 tonnes ATM built after 1991. The original document can be found https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/licensing/lbu_vs_ci_119.pdf/group

On 31 March 2022, the Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws replaced the health and safety element of the Mines Safety and Inspection laws. Click here to read the Mineral Exploration Drilling Code of Practice.

In addition to the below incident, there are numerous other similar incidents and injury reports that go back a number of years. What is frustrating, from an industry perspective, is that we are still having these types of incidents on rigs BUT, if we stop using stilsons on drill masts, (and live drill strings)  we will…