A failed park brake piston seal was all it took to reduce a Whitehaven EH5000 dump truck to ashes – and the lesson, as Greg Fenton told the Mechanical Engineering Safety Seminar (MESS 2025), is one that should alarm every mining professional running large electric-drive fleets.
Three dangerous incidents in New South Wales mining operations – and two tragic fatalities overseas – have once again sharpened focus on frontline safety risks and the critical role of systems, supervision, and situational awareness.
