OPERATIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT IN NICKEL ORE LOADING, HAULAGE, AND STOCKPILE OPERATIONS

Abstract

Nickel ore production involves continuous interaction between heavy equipment, haulage vehicles, field personnel, and changing site conditions. These activities can create serious occupational safety risks, particularly at loading points, along haul roads, and within stockpile areas. This study assessed operational risks associated with nickel ore loading, haulage, and stockpiling using an integrated Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Determining Control (HIRADC) framework. The three month assessment covered 120 workers and 116 heavy equipment units, supported by 20 task exposure observations and six documented near miss cases. Eleven principal hazards were identified. Four hazards were classified as critical or potentially fatal, five as high risk, and two as low risk. The most urgent hazards were heavy equipment interaction, unsafe positioning near excavation or stockpile edges, inter unit communication failure, and fatigue among operators or grade control personnel. Communication failure produced the highest exposure adjusted event rate, while its critical control showed inconsistent implementation. The findings indicate that effective risk reduction in nickel ore operations requires more than the provision of personal protective equipment. Priority should be given to traffic control, exclusion zone enforcement, two way communication, fatigue management, haul road maintenance, and routine verification of critical controls under actual field conditions.