Fatality #5 for Coal Mining 2016

c05On June 6, 2016, a 34-year-old contract laborer with 7 years of mining experience was fatally injured when a diesel-powered front-end loader fell on him.  Working together, another miner and the victim lowered the bucket and put downward hydraulic pressure on the bucket to raise the middle of the loader. Both miners then crawled under the loader.  The hydraulic pressure released, allowing the loader to lower, pinning both miners.  A mine examiner, who was nearby, lowered the bucket again to raise the loader off the miners.  One miner was freed and assisted in removing the unresponsive victim from under the loader.  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed, but the victim could not be revived.

Best Practices

  • Do not work under a suspended load.
  • Never depend on hydraulics to support a load.  Use the manufacturer’s recommendations to lift and block equipment against hazardous motion BEFORE starting any repairs.
  • DO NOT proceed with repairs until all safety concerns are adequately resolved, especially if potential hazards or prescribed procedures are unclear,.
  • Conduct examinations, from safe locations, to identify hydraulic leaks and assure repairs are conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.  Verify the release of, or fully control, all stored energy before initiating repairs.
  • Treat the suspended load as unblocked until blocks or jack stands are in place, fully supporting the weight, and equipment stability has been verified.
  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures before beginning work.  Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed to ensure miners are protected.  Use the proper tools and equipment for the job.
  • Train all miners in the health and safety aspects and safe work procedures related to their assigned tasks.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Accident Report (pdf).

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

m06On 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).

Fatality #5 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

m05On 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.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that persons are trained, including task-training, to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • Set the parking brake and lower the bull dozer blade to the ground before dismounting equipment.
  • 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.
  • Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing a task.
  • Maintain control of mobile equipment while it is in motion.
  • Maintain equipment braking systems in good repair and adjustment. Do not depend on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment stationary.
  • Never jump from mobile equipment.
  • Monitor persons routinely to determine safe work procedures are followed.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #4 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

m04On 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.

Best Practices

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures that include hazard analysis before beginning work. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed and use methods to properly protect persons.
  • Train all persons to understand the hazards associated with working near energized electrical conductors.
  • Use properly rated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including Arc Flash Protection such as a hood, gloves, shirt, and pants.
  • Ensure that all electrical systems are safely designed and properly installed and that all metal enclosing or encasing electrical circuits are grounded or provided with equivalent protection.
  • Provide equipment grounding conductors, with a sufficiently low impedance to limit the voltage to ground, for metal enclosures.  Use a properly rated meter to identify any stray electrical currents which may be present.
  • Lock Out, Tag Out, and Try: Place your lock and tag on the disconnecting device and test for power.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #3 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

m03On 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.

Best Practices

  • Review and follow site specific blast plan prior to loading any explosives.
  • Utilize technology, such as face profilers and borehole probes, to obtain specific geometric details of the material to be blasted.
  • Adjust stemming depth and/or decking to maintain adequate burden on all sections of the blast hole.
  • Develop a drill pattern by considering geology, face geometry, and surface topography.
  • Clear and remove all persons from the blast area unless suitable blasting shelters are provided to protect persons from flyrock. Allow at least 15 seconds after a blast for any flyrock to drop.
  • Examine blast site geology, communicate with the driller and review the drill log for angles, voids, competency of rock, loss of air, etc., prior to the loading any explosives. Make appropriate adjustments to ensure that the holes are not overloaded.
  • Ensure blasting and fly rock areas are properly calculated to ensure the blast site is clear of all persons.
  • Determine the actual burden for all face holes along their length and adjust the explosive power factor along the borehole accordingly.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

m02On 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.

Best Practices

  • Maintain berms at least mid-axle height on the largest piece of equipment using a roadway.
  • Visually inspect dumping locations prior to beginning work and as changing conditions warrant. Clearly mark dump locations with reflectors and/or markers.
  • Provide training to all dump-point workers on recognizing dump-point hazards, taking appropriate corrective measures, and using safe dumping procedures. Instruct all drivers to maintain the truck perpendicular to the edge when backing up at dump sites.
  • To lower risks at dump areas, dumping should be conducted a safe distance from the edge. Utilize a bulldozer with the “dump-short, push-over” method of spoiling material.
  • Ensure work areas and dump sites are properly illuminated at night.
  • Equipment operators should always wear seat belts.
  • Monitor persons routinely to determine safe work procedures are followed.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).

Proposed Rule Change for Workplace Exams

jmain-reformattedToday MSHA held a briefing to present their proposed rule change for Workplace Examinations in Metal-Nonmetal. My preliminary assessment is that it makes the following changes:

  • Examinations will be required at the START of each shift. Yes, I’ve said this in Refresher classes. It’s silly, but the current rule just says that it’s required during each shift. No problem here. If you’re doing it effectively now you’re already doing it at the start of the shift.
  • Examination records must include hazards found and corrections made. This is the stickiest of things to include in an MSHA required report, but again an important part of a good safety examination process. Joe Main dodged the question of how MSHA Inspectors may or may not use these records to write citations based on the hazards recorded by iterating that this was a briefing and such questions were more correctly addressed during the 90 day comment period to commence tomorrow.
  • Examination records must be available to miners and miner representatives. While this  isn’t included in the current rule again, an effective program certainly has to warn the workers who would be exposed to the hazard or even a corrected hazard.

Check out the MSHA FACT SHEET here.

Fatality #4 for Coal Mining 2016

c04On Friday, March 25, 2016, a 48-year-old continuous mining machine operator, with 30 years of mining experience, was fatally injured when an overhanging section of a rock rib fell and pinned him against the haulage equipment. The fallen rib was approximately 44 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 2 feet thick. The victim was remotely operating a continuous mining machine that was being used to excavate material during the construction of a coal transfer shaft. The area where the accident occurred had a depth of cover of approximately 1,950 feet and a height of approximately 17 feet.

Best Practices

  • Be aware of potential hazards at all times when working or traveling near mine ribs, especially when conditions exist that could cause roof or rib disturbance. Take additional safety precautions in these conditions and when mining heights increase.
  • Do not stand between ribs and remotely controlled face equipment.
  • Know and follow all provisions of the approved roof control plan.  Recognize that this plan has minimum requirements and additional measures must be taken as mining conditions warrant.
  • Train all miners to conduct thorough examinations of the roof, face, and ribs where miners will be working or traveling. Correct all hazardous conditions before allowing miners in such areas. Continuously watch for changing conditions and conduct more frequent examinations when abnormal conditions are present.
  • Pay particular attention to deteriorating roof and rib conditions when working in, or traveling through, older areas of the mine.  Provide additional training for specialized work, such as outby construction, emphasizing best practices for each specific task.
  • Perform a site-specific risk assessment for underground construction projects since unusual hazards may be encountered.  Identify and correct hazardous conditions related to falls of the roof, face, and ribs.
  • Install rib bolts on cycle and in a consistent pattern for the best protection against rib falls.
  • Provide additional support when fractures or other abnormalities are detected and use appropriate standing support beneath overhanging brows if they cannot be taken down or adequately bolted.
  • Adequately scale any loose rib material from a safe location with a bar of suitable length.
  • Historically, rib related accidents occur in areas where the mining height exceeds 7 feet and the cover is more than 700 feet. In such areas, make frequent examinations and take proactive measures to assure adequate, effective rib support is installed and maintained.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Accident Report (pdf).

Fatality #3 for Coal Mining 2016

c03On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, a 36-year-old continuous mining machine operator was fatally injured when he was pinned between the conveyor boom of the remote controlled continuous mining machine and the coal rib while positioning the trailing cable. The victim had trammed the continuous mining machine back out of the No. 6 Face into the last open crosscut between No. 6 and No. 5 Entries. The victim had 5 years and 6 months of mining experience, with 1 year and 17 weeks experience as a continuous mining machine operator.

Best Practices

  • Avoid “RED ZONE” areas when operating or working near a remote controlled continuous mining machine. Ensure all personnel; including the equipment operator is outside the machine turning radius before starting or moving the equipment. STAY OUT of RED ZONES.
  • Maintain a safe distance from any moving equipment. Position the conveyor boom away from the operator or other miners working in the area or when moving the machine.
  • Perform manufacturer’s pre-operation examinations each shift to ensure the proximity detection system is in proper working order to verify that the shutdown zones are sufficient to stop the machine before contacting a miner.
  • Be aware that radio frequency interference and Electromagnetic Interference generated by mining electrical systems can disrupt communications between the Miner Wearable Components (MWC) and the Proximity Detection System.
  • MWCs should be worn securely at all times according to manufacturer recommendations and in a manner so that warning lights and sounds can be seen and heard.
  • Always ensure continuous mining machine pump motors are disabled before handling trailing cables and never defeat machine safety controls.
  • Develop procedures to assist the continuous mining machine operator when repositioning or moving the machine.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Accident Report (pdf).

Fatality #2 for Coal Mining 2016

c02On January 16, 2016, a 31 year old continuous mining machine operator with 12 years of mining experience was fatally injured when a section of coal/rock rib measuring 4.5 feet long, 3 feet high, and 3 feet thick fell and pinned him to the mine floor. The victim was remotely operating the continuous miner in the number 2 entry of the advancing section when the accident occurred.

Best Practices

  • Train all miners and supervisors to conduct thorough examinations of the roof, face, and ribs where persons will be working and traveling. Correct all hazardous conditions before allowing persons to work or travel in such areas.
  •  Be aware of potential hazards at all times when working or traveling near ribs. Take additional safety precautions when mining heights increase to prevent development of rib hazards.
  • Avoid areas of close clearance between ribs and equipment.
  • Know and follow the approved roof control plan and provide additional support when roof or rib fractures, or other abnormalities are detected.  Remember, the approved roof control plan only contains minimum requirements.
  • Install rib bolts with adequate surface coverage hardware on cycle and in a consistent pattern for the best protection against rib falls. In addition to rib bolts and mesh, setting post on 4 foot centers along questionable rib lines will provide additional protection against rib rolls.
  • Be alert for changing conditions, especially after activities that could cause roof disturbance. Report abnormal roof or rib conditions to mine management.
  • Adequately support or scale any loose roof or rib material from a safe location.  Use a bar of suitable length and design when scaling.
  • Danger off hazardous areas until appropriate corrective measures can be taken.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Accident Report (pdf).