THE QUEENSLAND Department of Mines and Energy has issued a safety bulletin for earthmover tyre and rim maintenance and use.
According to the department, inadequate tyre and rim maintenance considerably increases the risk of personal injury and death, as the recently-reported tyre-related fatality of a young worker showed.
Recently revised Australian standards AS4457:1 2007 and AS4457:2 2008 require all stakeholders involved with tyres and rims to ensure effective safety and health management systems and processes are in place in relation to tyre and rim management.
A number of risks exist around earthmover tyre and rims. Bursting or exploding tyres and disintegration of pressurised rim assemblies have been shown to be fatal. These can be caused by tyre bubbles, ‘hot’ tyres, damage, and incorrectly fitted or damaged lock rings.
Poor training in tyre and rim maintenance could lead to unsafe situations. Therefore training for tyre servicemen and line supervision is needed. Training should be provided by registered organisations.
Tyre disintegration is caused by punishing dynamic loading cycles during operation which results in metal fatigue. By using a non-destructive testing regime to identify fatigue and deterioration, the risk can be minimised. Servicemen should also follow deflation protocol before working on the tyres.
Rims and rim components should be documented and their usage period compared to the manufacturer’s stipulated safe life. Additionally, rim components should be correctly assembled as mismatch could increase the risk of disintegration.
A number of other provisions are detailed in the safety alert.

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