Safety bulletin 001 Worker who left a dragline struck inside its swing boundary
A coal mine worker in Central Queensland was struck in the head by a rotating dragline after climbing down from it, RSHQ reported on 11 August 2026. The worker had stayed in, or gone back into, the swing boundary to collect traffic cones. They were knocked unconscious, and the other workers got the operator to stop. The investigation is continuing.
Published Source: RSHQ
Illustration
Illustration of a dragline’s house and tub at ground level. Its swing boundary is the ground that the house, boom and bucket can sweep as it turns.
What happened?
Four workers were on a dragline at a Central Queensland coal mine. RSHQ has not published the date or the mine’s name.1
Three of them climbed down from the machine while the fourth stayed at the controls. One of the three was then inside the dragline’s operational swing boundary, picking up traffic cones, when the rotating machine hit them in the head.1
The worker lost consciousness but had no further injuries. The others called on the operator to stop, and RSHQ says that without that quick action the outcome could have been far worse, even fatal.1
What is known about the cause?
RSHQ’s preliminary investigations suggest the worker either stayed inside the swing boundary after getting off the dragline or walked back into it to fetch the cones. The investigation was continuing when the alert was issued.1
RSHQ links the event to two earlier ones in Queensland: a coal mine worker died in 2021 after a rotating dragline struck them inside its swing boundary, and in 2024 another worker struck the same way narrowly escaped injury.1
Which controls apply on any site?
RSHQ’s learnings for site senior executives and sites, grouped by the kind of control they are.1
Review the procedures for getting on and off the dragline.1
Review the controls on people entering the house swing radius.1
Make sure ground staff and dragline operators can talk to each other reliably, for example by two-way radio.1
Have supervisors check that the dragline procedures in the mine’s Safety and Health Management System are followed.1
Make sure the Safety and Health Management System provides enough supervision for anyone working near a dragline’s swing boundaries.1
Audit and validate the mine’s operating procedures regularly.1
Training and awareness
Make sure people working close to draglines are trained, competent and aware of the hazards.1
Train people in every relevant part of the mine’s Safety and Health Management System.1
Questions about this incident
Short answers, drawn from the source. The full alert is linked below.
What is a dragline’s operational swing boundary?
The area that the dragline’s house, boom and bucket can sweep as the machine rotates. Anyone inside it can be struck when the house turns.
Was the worker badly hurt?
RSHQ reports that the worker was struck in the head and knocked unconscious, but had no further injuries.1
What did RSHQ recommend?
Reviewing boarding, disembarking and swing radius controls, considering proximity detection, reliable radio contact between ground staff and operators, supervision near swing boundaries, training, and regular audits of procedures.1
This bulletin summarises the source above in our own words. Details are as reported when it was published, and the investigation may since have found more. Spotted an error? Email contact@bigmate.com.au and we will correct it.
