On July 20, 2017, a miner was driving wedges into a block of granite in an attempt to break it loose. A piece of granite weighing 9 tons fell and crushed the victim against the quarry floor.
Best Practices
- Always conduct examinations of work place to identify loose ground or unstable conditions before work begins and as changing ground conditions warrant.
- Ensure that the person conducting the examination has the training and experience to recognize potential hazards.
- Danger off hazardous conditions and prohibit work or travel in areas where hazards from unstable ground have not been corrected.
- Discuss work procedures and identify all hazards associated with the work to be performed along with the methods to protect personnel.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On July 25, 2017, a 28-year-old bulldozer operator with 1 year and 9 months of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface facility. The victim was operating a bulldozer, pushing material off of a refuse bank before the accident occurred. He was found lying in the bulldozer’s push path at the top of an incline near the edge of the refuse bank. The bulldozer had run over the victim and continued over the edge of the incline, coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.
September 13, 2017 8:30 AM – 4 PM