On August 31, 2012, a 49-year old driller with 24 years of mining experience was killed at an underground gold mine. The victim was assigned to prepare the work area to set up a long-hole bench drill and was working near an open stope when he fell down the stope. He was inadvertently loaded out with the material and transported by a haul truck to the surface where he was later discovered.
- Always use fall protection with a lanyard anchored securely when working where there is a danger of falling.
- Examine workplaces for changing conditions when the strata, drill patterns, or other workplace conditions change.
- Establish policies and procedures for safely clearing hung or stuck material and ensure that persons follow those safe policies and procedures.
- Ensure that persons are task-trained and understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
- Ensure that areas are barricaded or have warning signs posted at all approaches where hazards exist that are not immediately obvious.
- Consider using a “miner in distress” call feature available on many communication and tracking systems carried by miners. This feature is designed to improve emergency response if a miner working alone or out of sight of other miners requires immediate assistance.
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