On May 10, 2016, a 46-year old maintenance man with 6 years of experience was fatally injured at a cement plant. The victim went to the top of the slurry tank to start the rake system. He fell 50 feet through a 3-foot by 4-foot opening in the walkway into the empty slurry tank below.
Best Practices
- Protect openings near travelways by installing railings, barriers, or covers.
- Ensure covers or railings protecting temporary access openings are secured in place at all times when an opening is not being used.
- Provide readily visible warning signs that clearly display the nature of the hazard and any protective action required.
- Wear fall protection where there is a danger of falling.
- Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards to finish the job safely.
- Train all persons, especially workplace examiners, to recognize and understand safe job procedures before beginning work. Communicate and correct hazards in a timely manner.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).
On April 11, 2016, a 61-year old dozer operator with 18 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface titanium ore mine. He had been leveling the haul roads into the pit with the dozer and was found lying approximately 30 feet in front of the dozer.
On April 9, 2016, a 25-year old plant operator with 4 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface copper ore mine. He was found unresponsive, kneeling with his face against a stainless steel flange that was connected to a high-density polyethylene pipe. The victim appeared to have received an electrical shock.
On March 22, 2016, a 42-year old lead man with 6 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface limestone mine when he was struck by fly rock from blasting operations. The lead man was parked in his pickup truck at a location to prevent others from accessing the blasting site. He was approximately 1,200 feet from the blast area.
On March 8, 2016, a 54-year old miner with 5 years of mining experience was killed at a surface sand and gravel operation. The miner backed his haul truck over a dump site and the driver was found at the bottom of the embankment, 60 feet below. The victim was found unresponsive and partially submerged in water. CPR was attempted, but the victim was not able to be resuscitated.