Notices served
| Notice 314633087 served against Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited on 28/10/2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice Type | Improvement Notice | ||
| Description | You failed to ensure that suitable measures were taken to prevent access of persons to the rotating hub and fan blades, which are dangerous parts of the No2 Bora Fan. Inspection of the Bora No1 Fan found damage to the guarding on the exhaust side of the fan and at the Main Mine Fan there was an absence of guarding on the exhaust side. Site visit to continue with fatal accident investigation including compliance check 19th November. Bora No 1 Fan My colleague Andrew Smith HM Principal Inspector of Mechanical Engineering and I inspected the No1 Bora Fan. We observed the repair to the mesh guarding on the base of the outlet side of the No1 Bora Fan, however a gap between two sections of mesh panels could be parted with minimal/limited force and as such is not suitable. In addition, the cross-bracing straps on the outlet side were on the outside of the mesh panels and not attached to the mesh, subsequently the mesh could easily be pushed in towards rotating parts and as such are not suitable. I also noted the damage to the inlet side guard, which you advised had occurred during relocating the fan. This guard required straightening out and a hole in it repairing, or totally replacing to make it suitable. Mr Smith and I gave advice on how the existing outlet guards could be strengthened, or alternately how new guards could be constructed made from sound material and of adequate strength to make them suitable. Main Fan My colleague Andrew Smith HM Principal Inspector of Mechanical Engineering and I also inspected the Main Mine Fan. The mine had used an engineered plastic mesh net, to guard the outlet side of the fan. Mr Smith and I gave advice on improvements to this arrangement to make them suitable, which included tightening the securing rope and fitting washer plates and nuts to the nets fixing points, to ensure it could not easily be removed. Advice was given that compliance with the Improvement Notice for the No1 Bora and Main Mine Fan can only be achieved by making these improvements, or by taking some other equally effective measure. Correspondence via E-mail 10/12/24 Please see attached pictures showing the exhaust and intake sides in their current configuration. On exhaust side, reinforcements to the guarding have been installed using angle iron and box steel as suggested. The guarding is rigid and no gaps are present. It is not anticipated that access to the motor, fan or hub will be required in the short to medium term or before a more permanent solution is in place. We are actively searching for a suitable specialist guarding supplier to assess Bora Fan No.1 and to design a suitable fixed guard on the exhaust side which will enable infrequent access in the event of a breakdown or maintenance (and the preparation of a safe system of work associated with that guarding). On the intake side, the damage you observed has been repaired. We consider this a suitable repair, albeit a temporary solution and are looking for a more permanent solution. In addition to working with a guarding supplier, we are exploring the possibility of sourcing a similar guard from other another Bora fan and retro-fitting this. In the meantime the integrity of the guard will be checked on a weekly basis to ensure the securing clips remain in place and the guard retains its integrity. These improvements will be inspected on a weekly basis and a written record kept of their condition. Due to the remote location of this site it is not efficient to make a sole journey to physically check the improved arrangements, the information in the E-mail supported by pictures is sufficient for compliance to be assessed. Further visits related to the investigation will be required, physical compliance checks will be carried out during those visits. V Fowler 11/12/24 | ||
| Compliance Date | 26/11/2024 | Revised Compliance Date | 10/12/2024 |
| Result | Complied with | ||
| Location of Offence | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Address | Lochaline Mine/Lochaline Quart Lochaline Mine Morvern OBAN Argyll PA80 5UU Scotland |
Region | Scotland | ||
| Local Authority | Argyll & Bute UA | ||||
| Industry | Extractive and utility supply industries | ||||
| Main Activity | 08990 - OTHER MINING AND QUARRYING | ||||
| Type of Location | Other Mine | ||||
| HSE Details | |||||
| HSE Group | EDU2MINE | HSE Directorate | Energy Division | ||
| HSE Area | HSE Division | Scotland | |||