The Resources Safety and Health Queensland has raised a safety alert over the increasing number of incidents involving falling objects across the state’s resources industry.
The resources regulator issued the safety alert to to inform the industry of the increase in incidents involving people who were in, or potentially exposed to, hazards in designated drop zones.
The RSHQ said there have been more than 300 of those incidents across coal mines, quarries and petroleum and gas sites. Drop zone incidents in those locations increased to 141 in 2025 from 113 in 2024 and 61 in the July to December 2023 period.
The regulator’s data showed that the most common deficiencies were in lifting operations, hazard and risk management, change management, work behaviour and compliance, maintenance and equipment integrity, site controls, and material handling.
RSHQ CEO Rob Djukic said while most people avoided injury, there was a serious risk of harm or even death.
“In one instance, a dragline fan motor fell almost eight metres from a warehouse pallet racking, hitting a forklift and only just missing a worker,” said Djukic.
“In another instance at a coal mine, a lifting point inside a ventilation fan was being used to suspend a shaft but the lift point failed, allowing the shaft to fall, hitting a worker’s leg and causing an ankle injury.
“We’ve created a Safety Alert that outlines key learnings and recommendations for industry. I strongly encourage all sites to consider how they might incorporate this into their risk assessments, systems and work planning.”
The RSHQ identified learnings to enhance site safety and reduce the risk of harm from falling objects, emphasising a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach.
Key requirements include proactive risk identification and assessment to define and clearly delineate drop zones, alongside the active implementation and maintenance of exclusion zones and deflection devices.
Furthermore, sites must strictly adhere to formal change management protocols for any modifications, enforce tool tethering procedures in elevated areas, and ensure sufficient resource allocation for safe work execution, all while prioritising design controls and preventative cleaning to inherently contain materials and prevent build-up.