Reducing the HSE and productivity risks from plant and equipment fluid spills, by taking action on the results of spill incident analysis, is in the interest of every astute mine manager. From a study over a year long, on a resource construction site with more than 20 types of heavy plant items (and 150 individual items), the plant and equipment most vulnerable to spills were loaders and excavators, and failing hydraulic hoses, o-rings, and hydraulic hose couplings represented 50% of the specific spill sources. The take home? The rigour of inspection of hydraulic hoses and particularly their fittings is vital. Operations should increase the sharing of lessons learnt from previous spill events, and for managers and supervisors, enhance the reward and recognition of operators actively preventing leaks through early reporting. It’s healthy for Health and safety professionals consider the impacts of spills even though the impacts may be more obvious on the environment.

1. SPOTLIGHT
HYDRAULIC SAFETY
AUSTRALASIAN MINE SAFETY JOURNAL / Summer 2015 / www.amsj.com.au70

2. R
educing the HSE and productivity
risks from plant and equipment
fluid spills, by taking action on the
results of spill incident analysis, is in
the interest of every astute mine manager.
From a study over a year long, on a resource
construction site with more than 20 types of
heavy plant items (and 150 individual items),
the plant and equipment most vulnerable to
spills were loaders and excavators. Failing
hydraulic hoses, o-rings, and hydraulic hose
couplings represented 50 per cent of the
specific spill sources. The take home? The
rigour of inspection of hydraulic hoses and
particularly their fittings is vital. Operations
should increase the sharing of lessons learnt
from previous spill events, and for managers
and supervisors, enhance the reward and
recognition of operators actively preventing
leaks through early reporting.
More than 370 million litres of oil leaks from
hydraulic equipment every year and that
excludes all the other sources of plant fluid
losses. Imagine almost 2 million 205 L (or
44 gal) drums poured out on the ground or
in waterways. If you find it hard to visualise
these quantities: that’s equivalent to 150
Olympic sized swimming pools – full of oil.
Apart from the downtime and productivity
losses (if they weren’t enough), the safety
and environmental ramifications should be
of concern to project managers and mining
operators alike.
A kilo of prevention is better than a ton of cure when it comes
to plant and equipment fluid spills, writes Turlough Guerin.
“In terms of the root causes, half were from
defective equipment parts and designs not
anticipating the conditions on site.”
71www.amsj.com.au / Summer 2015 / AUSTRALASIAN MINE SAFETY JOURNAL

3. AUSTRALASIAN MINE SAFETY JOURNAL / Summer 2015 / www.amsj.com.au72
Hydraulic Hose 33%
O-Ring 10%
Hydraulic Hose Coupling 7%Fuel Tank 6%Hydraulic Line 6%
Oil Filter 6%
Other 36%
“Apart from the downtime and productivity
losses (if they weren’t enough), the safety and
environmental ramifications should be of concern
to project managers and mining operators alike.”
SPOTLIGHT
HYDRAULIC SAFETY
Under Pressure
Hydraulic systems have advanced
considerably over the past 30 years. But so
too have hydraulic system operating pressures
and response times. Mining and construction,
requiring extensive earthworks and deploying
large fixed and mobile plant under demanding
project timelines, (often operating in
environmentally-sensitive locations), is where
the pressure is going to hit breaking point.
The problem of leaking hoses, lines and their
connectors has been around for as long as
hydraulic systems themselves but with more
system pressures and the need for greater
HSE diligence, it is imperative attention be
given to this aspect of operations.
The current study describes the nature of fluid
spill incidents occurring from operating more
than 150 items of plant, where approximately
400 personnel were employed during a
24-hour-a-day operation. The study provided
an analysis of plant and equipment fluid spill
management during a 14-month period in the
project, covering the main (earthworks) phase
of the construction on the site. Each spill
incident was investigated to determine the
root cause or causes for the spill.
The main product released across all the 86
spill incidents was hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic
fluid was present in 74 per cent of the 86
incidents, diesel 16 per cent, engine oil 7
per cent and the remaining 2 per cent was
degreaser and brake fluid. During this time, it
was estimated that a total of almost 3000 L or
2 per cent of all oil used (dispensed into plant
and equipment) entered into the environment
inadvertently during this period.
Regular check-ups
The spills were predominantly in the main
earthworks area of the site. There were a total
Fluid SPills SOURCES
Frequency Distribution % of No. Spill Events
Failure from hose twisting
Evidence of excavator spill
of 20 different types of plant and equipment
involved in the spill incidents. Of these, 8 types
accounted for 80 per cent of these incidents.
These eight types were, in decreasing
frequency of involvement, as follows: loaders,
excavators, haul trucks, a surface miner, water
carts (i.e. trucks), graders, dozers, and a drill rig.
Loaders and excavators were the most likely
items of plant to be involved in spill incidents
accounting for approximately 40 per cent. The
most frequent number of spills occurred on
loaders (17), excavator (16) and haul trucks (8) –
these are the plant to keep a close eye on.
The diagnosis?
Four root causes could explain 60 per cent
of spill incidents. These root causes were
typically associated with failures in the
hydraulic system such as connectors and
o-rings. These findings suggest that at least
a portion of the spill incidents could be
readily controlled or reduced. For example,
the cause “Incorrect Procedures Followed”
can be addressed by increasing the
effectiveness of training particularly in the
use and handling of heavy equipment. The
cause “Impact With an Object” is also able
to be reduced by targeting safer handling
and use of the heavy equipment, thereby
reducing collisions and accidents.
Getting back to work
In summary, failed hydraulic hoses and fittings
are the most common causes of hydraulic
fluid spills. In terms of the root causes, half
were from defective equipment parts and
designs not anticipating the conditions on
site. A smaller proportion of root causes were
identified as “Incorrect Procedures Followed”,
“Equipment Impacting With Other Objects”,
“No Inspection”, “Operators Accepting to
Deviate from Procedure”, “Mistakes (or “mental
slips”), “Inadequate Hazard Analysis”, and
“Operator’s Understanding of Equipment
Needing Improvement” - all within the control
of the constructor or mine operator.
The analysis provided here gives some further
insights into how spills occur and where your
next spill may come.
No mine or project manager wants down time
from a spill, especially as it puts operator’s
safety in jeopardy, exposes the operation
to environmental prosecutions, and pushes
production up the cost curve. Plant and
equipment is designed to run so getting
support from upper management, operators
and vendors is key for those teams responsible
for plant and equipment maintenance and
performance, to avoid spill events.

4. 73www.amsj.com.au / Summer 2015 / AUSTRALASIAN MINE SAFETY JOURNAL
PROFILE
Dr Turlough Guerin
Dr Turlough Guerin has worked for
Chevron and Thiess on the Gorgon
LNG Project; Rio Tinto on iron ore,
aluminium, bauxite and coal expansion
projects, downstream and midstream
O&G site management, compliance
and approvals; and with Shell and
Kaiser Engineers in decommissioning.
He has also developed high performing
teams in the telecommunications
and technology sector while with
Telstra and has led market research for
Motorola’s emerging BioChip start-up.
While contracting to Levine Fricke
Recon also in the Midwestern US, Dr
Guerin implemented environmental
projects with Amerigas (Federal EPA
reporting), Johns Manville (asbestos
investigations) and General Motors
(site decontamination).
Dr Guerin currently leads the approvals
and compliance program for the
construction of the largest utility-scale
solar project in southern hemisphere.
Dr Guerin currently holds directorships
with The Climate Alliance, Orica’s
Port Botany Community Participation
Group, Australian Institute of
Agriculture and Access Melbourne
(Chairman). For more information on
Dr Guerin and his work visit http://
au.linkedin.com/in/turloughguerin.
Equipment part defective
Incorrect procedure followed
Design did not anticipate conditions
Impact with an object
No preventative maintenance for equipment
No inspection
Not known
Mistake or mental slip
Accepted to deviate from procedure
Understanding needs improvement
Inadequate process hazard analysis
Roll over
Replacement part not available
Damage from lack of use
0 10 20 30 40 50
“The rigour of
inspection of
hydraulic hoses
and particularly
their fittings
is vital.”
Issue Applying the Learning
Failed hoses and hose fittings
are a major source of spills
Improve the quality of and focus applied when conducting machine pre-starts inspections.
Anticipate heavy vehicle types and applications where spills are likely to be most
prevalent including excavators, loaders and haul/water trucks.
Enhance communication Ensure operators of plant are informed of all spills during return to work briefings,
pre-starts and toolbox talks.
Advise heavy vehicle and equipment vendors of areas and components where common
leaks and spills arise.
Recommendations for adoption Engage heavy vehicle and equipment vendors on spill reduction initiatives and spill
prevention strategies.
Introduce KPIs to focus on leaks, seeps and weeps (not reporting spills only).
Regulatory bodies to drive pollution prevention and operational environmental protection
licences that legislate preventative actions for spill management from plant and equipment.
Loader
Excavator
Haul Truck
Surface Miner
Water Cart
Grader
Dozer
Drill Rig
Various
Service Truck
Pad Foot Roller
Crane
Bobcat Telehandler
Trencher
Stressing Jack
Rock Breaker Attachment
Generator Set
Excavator Arm PC850
Drum Roller
Cone Crusher
Bobcat
0 5 10 15 20 25
Construction Plant & Equipment
Frequency Distribution % of No. Spill Events
ROOT CAUSES
Frequency Distribution % of No. Spill Events
Lessons learnt from analysis of fluid spills across a resource construction project