Manager, safety and health Chris Skelding warned blast fumes sucked into the ventilation system of an underground coal mine could immediately affect the health of large numbers of coal mine workers.

“Contamination of underground coal mine ventilation with noxious gases from open-cut blasting is a hazard,” he said.

“Such an incident may occur if blast management at the open-cut mine fails to consider the potential for blast fume cloud contamination of the intake airways of nearby underground coal mines.”

He recommended that blast plans at open-cut coal mines note the location of any nearby underground coal mines and associated intake airways and distance to the underground mine.

Blast plans at open-cut coal mines should consider wind direction and strength and blast history and characteristics.

Communication and liaison with the underground mine should allow for evacuation should the fumes not follow predicted direction of travel and blasting should be postponed should conditions indicate likely ill effects at the underground mine.

Where relevant, an underground mine’s principal hazard management plan for emergency response include managing a blast fume risk should be prepared, Skelding recommended.