Author: renewcomer

Fatality #18 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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m18On 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)

September 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 192 citations, five orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal and four metal and nonmetal mines in September.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the death of 29 miners in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including evidence of a mine’s failure to control respirable dust and operator tactics to prevent MSHA from finding violations.

Click here for: MSHA link to spreadsheet (pdf).

Fatality #17 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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fab14m17-02On August 2, 2014, a 53-year-old plant operator with 25 years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mine.  The victim was working under the raised bed of a dump truck when the wooden block supporting the load suddenly failed, allowing the bed to fall and pin him.  The victim was working alone and was not found until 10 a.m. on August 3, 2014.

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.
  • Before working on equipment, block all raised components against hazardous motion and ensure persons are positioned in a safe location.
  • Follow the safe work procedures provided by the manufacturer when performing all maintenance or repair work.  If provided, always use the manufacturer’s provided safety device or features for securing components against hazardous motion.
  • Ensure that blocking material is competent, substantial, and adequate to support and stabilize the load.  Blocking must be strong enough and secured to prevent any unintended movement.
  • Never block with steel on steel or depend on hydraulics to support a load.  Mechanical blocking can be achieved by installing a hinged prop leg.
  • Do not assign a person to work alone in areas where hazardous conditions exist that would endanger his or her safety.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #12 for Coal Mining 2014

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FTL14c12aOn Tuesday, October 7, 2014, a 31-year-old utility worker, with 13 years of mining experience, was killed after he crawled 37 feet into an entry mined with a highwall mining machine to retrieve a broken cutter-head-chain from the mining machine. A rock, 8 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 16 inches thick fell on him. He was initially transported to a local hospital and was being airlifted to a larger medical facility when he died.

Best Practices
  • Never go under unsupported roof.
  • Never enter a hole mined with a highwall mining machine or auger without a specific, detailed, and approved plan to do so.
  • Develop a plan to remotely retrieve any part of a highwall mining machine caught or left in an entry.  The plan must specify methods which do not expose miners to hazards.  Train all personnel in such plans.
  • Know and follow the provisions of the established Ground Control Plan.
  • Establish Ground Control Plans for highwall mining operations that ensure safety and address web spacing, depth of penetration, and confined work areas.
  • Keep all equipment in proper working order by establishing and implementing maintenance schedules.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #16 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m16On July 23, 2014, a 51-year-old contract truck driver with 30 years of experience was killed at a cement operation while delivering a load of fly ash. The victim exited the truck to remove the tarp. A front-end loader backed down a ramp and struck the victim, pinning him against the truck.

Best Practices

  • Task train all persons to stay clear of mobile equipment.
  • Be aware of the location and traffic patterns of mobile equipment in your work area.
  • Before moving mobile equipment, look in the direction of travel and use all mirrors and cameras to ensure no persons are in the intended path.
  • Sound the horn to warn persons of intended movement and give them time to move to a safe location.
  • Operate mobile equipment at reduced speeds in work areas.
  • Ensure that backup alarms and lights on mobile equipment are maintained and operational.
  • Remain in your truck when mobile equipment is being operated nearby.
  • Communicate with mobile equipment operators and ensure they acknowledge your presence.  Stay in the line of sight with mobile equipment operators.  Never assume the equipment operator sees you.
  • Before operating equipment, always ensure other persons are clear and safely positioned.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #11 for Coal Mining 2014

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FTL14c11aOn Tuesday, September 16, 2014, a mobile equipment operator, with 10 years of mining experience, was killed while operating a mobile diesel can–setter.  He was stock piling pallets to prepare for the extraction of a longwall when he was crushed in the articulation area of the can-setter.
Best Practices

  • Do not position yourself in pinch-point areas while a piece of equipment is running.  Ensure that equipment operators remain in the confines of the equipment cab while the machine is running.
  • Never work or travel in the articulation area of equipment without engaging the steering frame lock or without using another effective means of preventing motion if the lock cannot be used.
  • Always preform thorough pre-operational examinations on mobile equipment to identify any defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment before it is placed into service.
  • Ensure that equipment modifications are either original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement parts or at least meet OEM specifications.
  • Ensure that equipment controls are maintained and function as designed.
  • Do not depend on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment stationary during repairs or maintenance.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #10 for Coal Mining 2014

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c14aOn Monday, September 15, 2014, a 53-year old bulldozer operator, with 28 years of experience, sustained fatal injuries when the bulldozer he was operating went over the edge of an approximately 50-foot highwall. The victim was preparing a bench for drilling when the accident occurred.
Best Practices

  • Be familiar with the work environment. Before beginning work, walk around and check the area. Plan the safest way to move the material and maneuver the equipment.
  • Train all employees adequately on the equipment they operate, safe work   procedures, hazard recognition, and hazard avoidance.
  • Be attentive to changes in ground conditions and visibility. Watch for surface cracks and loose material.
  • Keep the dozer blade between you and the edge when operating close to drop offs.  Dump loads short of the highwall edge and push one load into another to maintain a safe distance from the edge.
  • Maintain all equipment window glass clean and in good repair.
  • Maintain a safe distance from the edge of the highwall.  Use a spotter or other technology to assist equipment operators when working near highwalls.
  • Perform additional checks during the work shift to ensure ground conditions have not changed when the edge of a slope cannot be seen from the operator’s position
  • Ensure that personnel operating mobile equipment always wear a seat belt.
  • Monitor work activities to assure safe work procedures are followed.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

August 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 131 citations and 11 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines in August.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the death of 29 miners in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including evidence of a mine’s failure to control respirable dust and operator tactics to prevent MSHA from finding violations. The August 2014 impact inspections included examples where MSHA found both.

Click here for: MSHA report with link to spreadsheet (pdf).

Fatality #9 for Coal Mining 2014

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ftl2014c09On Wednesday, August 20, 2014, a 41-year-old maintenance supervisor with approximately 19 years of mining experience was killed when he came in contact with an energized component inside an explosion proof enclosure.  The victim had removed the enclosure’s panel cover and was troubleshooting or performing electrical work on the 600 VAC roof bolting machine when he was electrocuted.

Best Practices
  • Wear properly rated and well maintained electrical gloves when troubleshooting or testing energized circuits.
  • REMEMBER, troubleshooting or testing is the work of locating electrical problems and verifying that proper repairs have been made.
  • After locating the electrical problem, and before performing electrical work, open the circuit breaker, and disconnect and lock-out and tag-out the visual disconnecting device.
  • Use properly rated electrical meters and non-contact voltage testers to ensure electrical circuits are deenergized prior to performing electrical work.
  • REMEMBER, electrical work is the work required to install or maintain electrical equipment or conductors.
  • Perform your own lock-out and tag-out procedure and NEVER rely on others to do this for you.
  • Install warning labels on a circuit breaker’s line side terminals stating that the terminal lugs remain energized when the circuit breaker is open.
  • Develop, communicate, and execute a written plan before performing electrical troubleshooting and repair to ensure that safety is maximized for all miners involved in the task.

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

July 2014 Impact Inspections

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MSHA-logoThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 190 citations and eight orders during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in July.

The monthly inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.

Click here for: MSHA report with link to spreadsheet (pdf).