MNM Fatality – 9/17/23

On September 17, 2023, contractor driller helper died while driving a service truck to transport a rod handler on the bed.  The service truck left the road, overturned, and the driver was ejected.  The passenger, who was wearing his seat belt, was injured, treated and released from the hospital.

Best Practices

  • Wear seat belts when operating mobile equipment.
  • Conduct pre-operational inspections and correct any safety defects before operating mobile equipment.
  • Maintain control of equipment. 
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.

Additional Information

This is the 33rd fatality reported in 2023, and the ninth classified as “Powered Haulage.”

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf)

MNM Fatality – 1/23/23

On January 23, 2023, a utility management miner died, and another miner was seriously injured, while removing unused waterline pipe suspended from a mine roof.  The two miners were using hand tools to remove a pipe fitting when the waterline pipe suddenly came apart, striking the victim.

Best Practices

Operators should:

  • Release stored energy and pressure from pipes (block and bleed) before breaking a pipe connection.
  • Lock out, tag out, and block equipment from movement before performing maintenance or repairs.
  • Train miners in the safe performance of their tasks.

Additional Information

This is the third fatality reported in 2023, and the first classified as “Hand Tools.”

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 2/14/22

On February 14, 2022, a 34 year-old maintenance technician died while driving a lube truck underground.  The truck over traveled the edge of a stope and fell approximately 60 feet into the stope drift.

Best Practices: 

  • Provide berms, bumper blocks, safety hooks, or similar impeding devices at dumping locations where there is a hazard of over travel.
  • Examine working places before work begins for conditions that may adversely affect safety and health

Additional Information: 

This is the seventh fatality reported in 2022, and the third classified as “Powered Haulage.”

Click here for: preliminary report (pdf) Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 9/14/21

On September 14, 2021, a 70 year old* individual with no mining experience* was fatally injured at a mine with 3 employees* when an excavated trench collapsed and engulfed him.  The victim was prospecting for gold inside the trench with a metal detector when the trench collapsed.

Best Practices: 

  • Stay clear of potentially unstable areas. Do not enter trenches if the trench walls are not properly supported for the full height or sloped to a safe angle.
  • Do not abandon trenches or excavations without removing the potential of collapse by filling or sloping the walls to a stable angle.
  • Carefully examine ground conditions before performing tasks near excavated embankments, trenches, or ditches.
  • Follow OSHA Trenching and Excavation Safety Guidelines located at https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha2226.pdf
  • Train miners about the inherent dangers of trenching work.
  • Keep visitors within sight and sound of a responsible person.

Additional Information: 

The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data only and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality. (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 11/8/20

On Nov. 8, 2020, (at a mine in Round Mountain NV with 864 employees*) a (58 year old*) bulldozer operator (with 41 years mining experience*) was killed when his bulldozer backed over the edge of a highwall (and came to rest over 300 feet downhill*).

Best Practices: 

•    Install and maintain lights to illuminate working places during the night and early morning hours.
•    Install berms, signs or devices to identify the edge of working benches and to allow equipment operators to maintain control of equipment.
•    Train equipment operators to identify dangerous conditions and to keep the dozer blade between the operator and the edge when near drop-offs.
•    Develop and enforce policies requiring safety belts when operating machinery.

Additional Information: 

This is the 24th fatality reported in 2020, and the eighth classified as “Machinery.” (* Italicized details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

2019 Fatality – Rescinded 6/6/19

2019 Fatality #7

On May 13, 2019, a 57-year-old truck driver with 12 years of experience was fatally injured when his haul truck rolled over. The haul truck was ascending a haul road when it slowed, stopped, and rolled backwards over 300 feet. The haul truck then ran up a hill, which caused it to roll over.

Best Practices: 

  • Task train mobile equipment operators adequately and ensure each operator can demonstrate proficiency in all phases of mobile equipment operation before performing work.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment.
  • Maintain control of self-propelled mobile equipment while it is in motion.
  • Load trucks within the safe operating range based on the load rating of the truck, the road grade, and weather conditions.
  • Exercise caution when approaching grades and operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Maintain equipment in accordance with manufacturer’s service and maintenance schedules.

Rescission Date:  June 26, 2019

The Acting Chair of MSHA’s Chargeability Review Committee reviewed the death certificate, autopsy report, and MSHA’s accident investigation findings and determined that the miner died from natural causes.  The  fatality is not chargeable to the mining industry.

[Since MSHA in their infinite wisdom is no longer counting MNM vs. Coal that confuses the number on every fatality for 2019 after this. I have attempted to go back and change those already posted so they correspond to the numbers MSHA references, but you may notice some text within the fatalgram that references old numbers. – Randy]

Fatality #16 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

On November 11, 2018, a 45-year old Underground Technician with 4 years of experience was killed when the Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) machine he had been operating underground ran over him.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that all braking systems installed on mobile equipment function properly when the engine is operating and when it is shut off.  Do not depend on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment in a stationary position
  • Block LHDs against motion by setting the parking brake. Turn the tires toward the rib and lower the bucket onto the floor.  Use wheel chocks when parking mobile equipment.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational examinations on all self-propelled mobile equipment and promptly correct any defects affecting safety.
  • Before beginning a task, miners should discuss the work procedures, identify all possible hazards, and ensure steps are taken to safely perform the task.

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

Fatality #14 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

On October 25, 2018, a 42-year old miner with 13 years of experience was killed when the back fell while he was loading explosives in the face.  The back was comprised of cemented backfill and weighed approximately 150 tons.

Best Practices

  • Implement a robust quality control program to ensure cemented rock fill is mixed and placed properly, especially when it constitutes the main method of ground support.
  • Examine and test ground conditions in areas where work is to be performed prior to work commencing and as warranted during the shift.  Be alert for changing conditions, especially after activities that could cause back/roof disturbance.
  • When ground conditions create a hazard to persons, install additional ground support before other work is permitted in the affected area.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potentially hazardous conditions and ensure they understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards.

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

Fatality #11 & #12 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining

On October 31, 2017, a 340-ton haul truck ran over a passenger van carrying nine miners. The driver of the van and the miner in the front seat were fatally injured. Of the remaining seven miners, one suffered a non-life threatening injury.

Best Practices

  • When approaching large mobile equipment, do not proceed until you communicate and verify with the equipment operator your planned movement and location.  Provide radio communication systems between vehicles and large mobile equipment.
  • Ensure, by signal or other means, that all persons are clear before moving equipment.
  • Minimize situations where smaller vehicles need to approach large haul trucks (e.g., arrange for haul truck drivers to have supplies available at the pre-shift meeting place, rather than delivering supplies to the truck).
  • Do not drive or park smaller vehicles in a large truck’s potential path of movement.
  • Equip smaller vehicles with flags or strobe lights positioned high enough to be seen from the cabs of haulage trucks.
  • Install and maintain proximity detection or collision avoidance/warning systems and cameras.

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

Fatality #17 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

On December 21, 2016, a 39-year old contract truck driver, with 11 months of mining experience, was injured on the surface of an underground gold mine. The victim was hauling gold ore in an over-the-road truck from the mine to the plant. While descending the roadway from the mine, the victim lost control of his truck. He traveled up an embankment and over an approximate 20 foot drop, landing back in the roadway. The victim was transported to the hospital and died from his injuries several days later.

Best Practices

  • Maintain equipment braking systems in good repair and adjustment.  Never rely on engine brakes and transmission retarders as substitutes for keeping brakes properly maintained.
  • Maintain control of equipment at all times, making allowances for prevailing conditions (low visibility, inclement weather, etc).
  • Examine haulage roads for hazardous conditions prior to permitting equipment access and especially when conditions change due to snow, ice, or water.
  • Communicate hazardous conditions to other persons using the haulage road. Ensure traffic rules, signals, and warning signs are posted and obeyed.
  • Keep roadways clear and safe for travel. Remove snow and ice which may cause loss of traction for equipment along roadways.
  • Train all employees on proper work procedures, hazard recognition and avoidance.
  • Know the truck’s capabilities, operating ranges, load-limits and properly maintain the brakes and other safety features.
  • Use chains for better traction while stopping or climbing on snow covered steep grades, consider the use of chains for better traction while stopping or climbing.

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