Live Electrical Work is now prohibited in WA.
This impacts the use of the Dewatering Pump Starters in Underground Mining
- Many pump starters used in underground mining require you to perform Live Electrical Work just to adjust the Stop Current for the pump.
- Live Electrical Work is NOW (as of May 2018) generally prohibited in Western Australia.
- If you are an Electrical Superintendent, Mine Manager or simply someone performing this work then You Are Responsible.
- The 2iB SC10 Pump Controller provides a solution.
In this post I suggest an alternative (using the 2iB SC10) and summarise the relevant changes to the regulations.
Live Work and Dewatering Pump Starters
With mining pump starters it is common to adjust the snore/stop current with the switchboard door open.
- This is Working Live.
- Adjusting the snore current on the pump is a routine thing to do.
- Is it “reasonable” to be working live for a routine operation like this?
- Is this really OK?
- If you are doing this, are you taking all of the necessary steps?
There is an alternative: The 2iB SC10 Pump Controller
The 2iB SC10 provides a simple way to avoid this Live Work.
You can mount the Snore / Stop Current adjustment pushbuttons on the door of the starter. Simple!
The SC10 supports connection of
Up,
Down and
Set buttons on the door. The
Up and
Down buttons work like the adjustment Pot on existing starters. There is also a very convenient
Set button which can set the snore current with a single press of a button – even easier.
You might want to mount these buttons behind an access door to limit access by operators. Something like this…
Yes, I know that this will add a little cost to the starter. But it might avoid injuries and problems with the regulator. And anyway, how does this cost compare to the Safety Observer that you will need to be compliant to the regulations?
Retrofit to replace other pump controllers is certainly feasible. At the very least you should be doing something to avoid this Live Work when you build or order new Pump Starters.
You can also mount the SC10 through a cut-out like a circuit-breaker. The Cover door could be steel or a polycarbonate inspection window like those from NHP / Fibox.
Apart from safety, it is also easier than opening the door.
See the blog entry here for more tips.
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Changes to Limit Live Electrical Work in Western Australia in 2018
In Western Australia changes to the regulations to significantly limit live electrical work came into effect on May 2018. If you are a sparky then you have, no doubt, heard about this. See
here for the detail.
The Regulations
When? 14 May 2018
What?
The updated regulation limits work on or near live electrical equipment to circumstances only where:
- “It is necessary for the work to be carried out effectively;
- The health and safety of one or more persons would be otherwise put in imminent and significant danger; or
- It is necessary in order to test, measure the performance of, or detect or locate faults or defects in, the part of the installation.”
The regulation also says the live work may be carried out where
“there is no reasonable alternative to carrying out the work while the part of the electrical installation is energised”.
I’ve highlight some important phrases in bold. Is there really no reasonable alternative in this case?
The Code of Practice
There is also a
Code of Practice to provide guidance here. This provides more details. The code of practice says:
“Compliance with the Code is made mandatory…”
“A person or business requiring electrical work to be carried out may provide operational reasons appearing to justify energised electrical work. Requiring electrical work to be carried out while the equipment is energised when it could be avoided places an onerous responsibility on the person or business to manage the risks. Should an incident occur as a result of carrying out energised electrical work, the person or business is at risk of being found not to have provided a safe workplace. This could contravene the primary duty of care under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984.”
If you do decide to proceed and allow live work then the following measures must be taken:
“a) A risk assessment is to be undertaken by a competent person familiar with the type of work to be carried out; and
- b) The competent person is satisfied that the requirements of Regulation 55(2)(b) are met; and
- c) A safe work method statement (SWMS) for the work has been prepared in accordance with Regulation 3.143(4) of the OSHR; and
- d) Suitable personal protective equipment and safety equipment is used by the person carrying out the work.”
Much more detail can be found in the code.
Mine Dewatering Pump Starters
Pump starters used in underground mining are very commonly
Snore Controllers. These use a pump controller or current-sensing switch to detect a snoring condition. Snoring is when the pump starts sucking air.
People need to set or adjust this Snore Stop Current in the field. To do this they often lift the pump whilst it is running to create a snoring condition.
Then, they open the door of the pump starter to adjust the snore current setpoint using a Pot (potentiometer) on a controller or current switch. This pot is on the controller or current switch mounted on the DIN rail inside the starter.
There is a risk of electrocution in performing this work AND it now requires following the steps in the code to allow this work to be performed.
