On August 25, 2014, a 54-year-old truck driver with 1 year of experience was killed at a limestone mine. The victim went to a storage building to get some wooden planks. He climbed a stack of loaded pallets to get to the planks that were near the rafters and fell approximately 8 feet to the ground below. The next day two coworkers arrived at the mine and found the victim at approximately 6:05 a.m.
Best Practices
- Establish and discuss safe work procedures before beginning work. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed and use methods to properly protect persons.
- Ensure that persons are trained, including task-training, to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
- Develop a plan to store supplies and other items in an accessible way to ensure ease of retrieval and transportation.
- Always be aware of your surroundings and any hazards that may be present.
- Provide and maintain a safe means of access to all working places. Always work from a stable position.
- Do not assign a person to work alone in areas where hazardous conditions exist that would endanger his or her safety.
- Account for all persons at the end of each shift.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)