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BACKGROUND

High Hazard Unit– Mines/Tunnels/Quarries– Petroleum/Geothermal– Major Hazard Facilities

High Consequence – Low Frequency events.

Recent activity within operational tunnels– Rail– Road– Hydro– Services– Tourist (biking-walking)

Linkage with NZTA

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THIS PRESENTATION

• What have we learnt from the past?

• How well do you know your tunnels?

• Are you ready to deal with an emergency?

• Planning for asset upgrades

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WHAT IS HIGH CONSEQUENCE ?

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RECENT TIMES

1987 Kings Cross

1996 Channel Tunnel

1999 Mont Blanc

2000 Kaprun

2003 Daegu

2008 Channel Tunnel

Low frequency events given the millions transported.

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YOU NEED TO KNOW…

› What the risks are from entering tunnels

› The likelihood of those risks occurring

› The degree of harm that might result from those risks

› Options to eliminate the risks

› If they can’t be eliminated, optionsto minimise the risks

USE COMMON CONTROLS FOR COMMON RISKS

HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS

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Eliminate

Substitute

Isolate

Engineering Controls

Administrative controls

PPE

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› Businesses who are ‘upstream’ (eg architects, manufacturers, importers) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the work they do or the things they provide to other workplaces don’t create health and safety risks.

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE SUPPLY CHAINUpstream Duties

NEW ZEALAND’S TUNNELS

Negatives– Single Track/Lane– Long– Isolated– Lacking fire fighting systems– No service tunnels or escapeways– Fire Service 150 metre entry limit– Ambulance/Police no entry policy– Mines Rescue not first responders

Positives– Low numbers– Low exposure times

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VARYING ACTIVITY

Maintenance activity risks– Moving to electric/air tools and better gas awareness– Fire engineering and suppression systems for HRV.

Freight activity– Stalling, breakdowns – Moving to better PPE for toxic and irrespirable atmospheres– Fire engineering and suppression systems– Better gas detection and awareness

Passenger trains– Fire engineering and suppression systems– Locos at either end– Auto decouplers– Gas detection– Improved walkways– Lighting– Communication upgrades

Buses– Private– Commercial

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THE CHALLENGE

Retro-Fitting - Up-Grade Costs V Consequences– Short Term Measures

• Fire Engineering & Suppression of Rail/Road vehicles

• Emergency Management Plans and Exercises. Bowtie RAs

• Built in Redundancy • Understand the unique

characteristics of a tunnel over a variety of conditions.

• First response capability– Medium Term

• Deluge Systems• Refuge Chambers

– Long Term• Escape tunnels

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