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Fatality #9 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On May 28, 2010, a 59-year-old supervisor with 20 years of experience was fatally injured at an underground gold mine. The victim and another miner entered a blast area when a misfire detonated without warning. The other miner was injured and hospitalized.

Best Practices

  • Follow the manufacturers’ guidelines for the storage and usage of explosives.
  • Keep explosives storage areas clean, dry and orderly.
  • Properly rotate explosive stock to use oldest stock first.
  • Never use damaged/deteriorated/outdated explosives, initiation devices, or blasting agents.
  • Wait a minimum of the required times before entering the blast area when either a misfire and/or burning explosives are a possibility.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf),  Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #8 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On May 26, 2010, a 28 year-old contract miner with 10 weeks of mining experience was fatally injured at an underground uranium mine. The victim was scaling a rib when he was struck by falling material approximately 11 feet high, 15 feet wide and 4 inches to 30 inches thick.

Best Practices

  • Always examine, sound and test for loose ground in areas before starting to work, after blasting, and as ground conditions warrant.
  • Train all persons to scale loose material safely.
  • Always perform manual scaling from a safe location.
  • When manually scaling, use scaling bars of a length and design that allow the removal of loose material without exposing the persons performing the work.
  • Install ground support in ribs where conditions warrant.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #7 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On May 24, 2010, a 61-year-old maintenance foreman with 32 years of experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim entered a vertical roller mill without locking out the electrical power switch. The mill was started with the victim in the mill.

Best Practices

  • Always follow established lock-out and tag-out procedures.
  • Never rely on others to place your lock on electrical power switches.
  • Always post warning notices at the power switches.
  • Never enter machinery without ensuring the energy source is locked out.
  • Always test to ensure power is off after locking out.
  • Maintain power switch lock out mechanisms to function properly.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On May 14, 2010, a 35 year-old mechanic/welder with 4 years of experience was fatally injured at a cement operation. The victim was using an oxy- acetylene torch to cut a damaged drill steel to salvage the drill bit. The drill steel exploded causing metal fragments to strike the victim.

Best Practices

  • Always examine materials before applying heat, cutting or welding.
  • Never apply heat to materials without ensuring that flammables/combustibles/explosive materials are not present.
  • Always examine materials with hollow spaces or cavities to ensure gases can vent before applying heat.
  • Never apply heat to materials where pressure build up is possible.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview(pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #5 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On May 5, 2010, a 21 year-old old contract driller with 1 year of experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim was repositioning a truck mounted drill. He lowered the mast and raised the leveling jacks to move the drill. The drill then rolled down a grade and struck him.

Best Practices

  • Maintain parking brakes to ensure proper function.
  • Always set parking brakes when leaving a vehicle unattended.
  • Ensure parking brake will hold the vehicle before exiting cab.
  • Use tire chocks when parking equipment on grades.
  • Never attempt to enter the cab of a runaway vehicle.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview(pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #33 for Coal Mining 2010

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On Thursday, April 22, 2010, a 28-year old continuous mining machine operator with 5 years of experience was fatally injured when he was crushed between the conveyor boom of the continuous mining machine and the coal rib. The victim was located near the continuous mining machine while positioning it. The mining height in this area was approximately five feet.

Best Practices

  • Ensure the continuous mining machine operator is positioned beyond the turning radius, and away from the conveyor boom turning radius before starting or moving the equipment.
  • Frequently review, retrain, and discuss avoiding the “RED ZONE” areas when operating or working near a remote controlled continuous mining machine.
  • Pursue new technology, such as proximity detection, to protect personnel from accidents of this type. See the proximity detection single source page on the MSHA web site.
  • Minimize the number of miners working or traveling near continuous mining machines and maintain effective communications between miners and equipment operators.
  • Train all productions crews and management in programs, policies, and procedures for operating remote controlled continuous mining machines.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #3 – #31 for Coal Mining 2010

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On Monday, April 5, 2010, 29 miners were fatally injured and 2 miners received serious injuries when an explosion occurred in a large underground coal mine. The victims were located in different areas of the mine, some on their way out of the mine and others were involved with mining activities.

Best Practices

The following best practices are generally applicable to underground mining. An investigation is ongoing at Upper Big Branch which will determine the root cause(s) of the explosion on April 5, 2010.

  • EFFECTIVE VENTILATION SYSTEM – Properly design, frequently examine, and properly maintain a ventilation system that is effective at all times for all areas of the mine. This is the first line of defense against an explosion. Maintain proper air quality in bleeders for examiners.
  • ADEQUATE ROCK DUST – Apply rock dust liberally, even in wet areas, in all faces and outby areas. Maintain the applications to prevent the propagation of coal dust explosions.
  • PROPER EXAMINATIONS and IMMEDIATE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS – Conduct proper pre-shift, on-shift, supplemental, and electrical examinations. Immediately eliminate hazards involving inadequate ventilation, insufficient rock dust, methane accumulations, and permissibility violations.
  • METHANE AND OXYGEN CHECKS – Make frequent methane and oxygen measurements, especially during periods of rapid decline in barometric pressure.
  • COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL – Clean up loose coal, coal dust, and other combustible material. The possibility of an explosion or fire can be diminished by reducing the fuel supply.
  • WATER SPRAYS and DUST COLLECTORS – Water sprays and dust collectors reduce the fuel available for a potential fire or explosion.
  • ESCAPEWAYS – Conduct escapeway drills and maintain escapeways in safe condition and assure that lifelines are being maintained.
  • ATMOSPHERIC MONITORING SYSTEMS (AMS) – Utilize AMS to monitor strategic locations for carbon monoxide, oxygen content, methane content, and air volumes.

Click here for: Single Source page MSHA Online (web page), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On January 26, 2010, a 59 year-old purchasing manager with 5 years of experience was fatally injured at a cement operation. The victim was struck by an over-the-road tandem trailer truck. The truck had been waiting to unload. When the truck pulled forward, another truck driver observed the victim under the second trailer of the truck and immediately stopped the driver. The victim was holding a cell phone at the time of the accident.

Best Practices

  • Train all persons to stay clear of mobile equipment.
  • Be aware of the location and traffic patterns of mobile equipment in your work area.
  • Communicate with mobile equipment operators and ensure they acknowledge your presence.
  • Never approach mobile equipment until you receive confirmation from the operator indicating awareness of your presence.
  • Wear high visibility clothing when working around mobile equipment.
  • Avoid distractions, such as cell phones, when exposed to hazards.
  • Before moving mobile equipment, look in the direction of travel, use all mirrors, cameras, and installed proximity detection devices to ensure no persons are in the intended path.
  • Sound the horn to warn persons of intended movement and wait to give them time to move to a safe location.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview(pdf), Spanish Fatalgram(doc)

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2010

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On January 9, 2010, a 20 year-old contractor laborer with 21 weeks of experience was fatally injured at a copper operation. Two track excavators were being used to place a 400-foot long section of 24-inch diameter plastic pipe into a pond. To facilitate the installation process, the pipe was placed on top of an adjacent section of pipe that was previously placed on the plastic lining of the pond. During installation, the pipe being installed misaligned and the victim and two coworkers attempted to remove the end of this pipe from the top of the existing pipe. At that time, the end of the pipe shifted, hit a coworker, and then struck the victim. The victim fell to the ground and the pipe landed on him. The coworker was not injured.

Best Practices

  • Task train all persons prior to performing any work.
  • Always stay clear of suspended loads.
  • Use taglines of sufficient length to adequately protect persons from potential hazards.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview(pdf), Spanish Fatalgram(doc)

Fatality #2 for Coal Mining 2010

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On Friday, January 22, 2010, at approximately 9:15 a.m., a 29 year old continuous miner operator with 12 years of mining experience was fatally injured when a rib roll, approximately 70 inches high, 63 inches long, and 103 inches wide, occurred. The victim was operating a remote control continuous mining machine to clean a previously bolted crosscut when he was struck by the coal rib and pinned against the mine floor.

Best Practices

  • Conduct a thorough visual examination of the roof, face, and ribs immediately before any work or travel is started in an area and thereafter as conditions warrant.
  • Adequately support or scale any loose rib or roof material before beginning work.
  • Perform careful examinations of pillar corners, particularly where the angles formed between entries and crosscuts are less than 90 degrees.
  • Permanently support openings that create an intersection before any work or travel in the intersection.
  • Be alert to changing geologic conditions which may affect roof/rib conditions.

Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (doc)