Metal/Nonmetal

MNM Fatality – 7/13/21

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On July 13, 2021, a rock falling from a pillar in a benched area at a room-and-pillar zinc mine with 88 employees in Strawberry Plains, TN, struck a 68 year old scaler operator with 10 years and 40 weeks experience*. The miner was in a personnel lift basket near ground level to load blasting supplies.  The rock fell from a height of approximately 40 feet, striking the basket. 

Best Practices: 

  • Support or remove loose material from a safe position before beginning work.
  • Design, install, and maintain the ground support to control the ground where people work or travel, after blasting, and as ground conditions warrant.
  • Use scaling equipment capable of maintaining safe ground conditions suitable for the mining dimensions.
  • Establish safe work procedures to ensure a safe work location for miners conducting scaling operations.  Train all miners to recognize hazards and understand these procedures.
  • Perform thorough workplace examinations where miners work or travel.
  • Be alert for changing conditions, especially after activities that could cause back/roof disturbance.

Additional Information: 

This is the 18th fatality reported in 2021, and the second classified as “Fall of Face/Rib/Highwall.”  (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 6/9/21

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On June 9, 2021, two miners, a 55 year old foreman with 24 years of experience and a 65 year old supervisor with 42 years’ experience*, were fatally injured at a mine with 1062 employees*, when a locomotive collided with the personnel carrier in which they were riding. 

Best Practices: 

  • Install lights or other engineering controls to let miners know when it is safe to travel on track haulageways.
  • Implement a communicaton system so that one person, who is not on any mobile equipment, has the sole authority to authorize travel on track haulageways.
  • Establish and maintain effective communication protocols that require identification, location and intended travel, between locomotives, light vehicles and foot traffic.
  • Train miners on proper traffic patterns and procedures.

Additional Information: 

These are the 16th and 17th fatalities reported in 2021, and the 8th and 9th classified as “Powered Haulage.”  (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 6/7/21

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On June 7, 2021, at a mine with 25 employees*, a 56 year old hopper operator with 6 years and 36 weeks experience* entered the top of a primary feed hopper to break up and remove a large rock. Raw material that remained on the sides of the hopper sloughed off and engulfed the miner.

Best Practices: 

  • Equip hoppers with mechanical devices, grates/grizzlies or other effective means of handling material so miners are not required to enter or work where they are exposed to entrapment by caving or sliding material.
  • Establish and assure policies and procedures are followed to safely remove blockages in bins and hoppers. Follow manufacturer recommendations.
  • Provide a safe means of access that allows miners to safely conduct tasks such as removing large rocks and other material.
  • Wear an appropriate safety harness, lanyard and lifeline which are securely anchored and constantly monitored and adjusted by another person, as needed, prior to entering bins or hoppers.
  • Train miners in safe work procedures and hazard recognition especially when removing blockages in bins or hoppers.

Additional Information: 

This is the 15th fatality reported in 2021, and the second classified as “Handling Material.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 5/18/21

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On May 18, 2021, a telehandler at an underground mine with 113 employees and 7 contract employees* was towing a trailer with a diesel pump onboard up an inclined underground roadway when the tow hitch suddenly broke. The trailer rolled down the roadway, striking and fatally injuring a 35 year old* contract laborer with 1 year experience*.

Best Practices: 

  • Use towing hardware (hitches, tow bars, receivers, couplers, pins, pintles, safety chains/cables, etc.) which is properly designed and rated. Before each use, examine towing hardware for wear, cracks and other damage. 
  • Never exceed the recommended maximum towing capacity of a tow vehicle or trailer. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and only use equipment designed for towing.
  • Always use properly sized safety chains in conjunction with hitches. Safety chains keep the trailer connected to the tow vehicle in case the other tow hardware fails.
  • Never position yourself directly behind equipment being towed uphill.
  • Establish procedures for safe and proper towing. Train miners to follow these procedures and identify hazards associated with towing.

Additional Information: 

This is the 12th fatality reported in 2021, and the third classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), final report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 4/22/21

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On April 22, 2021, a 53 year old dredge operator with 6 years 40 weeks experience* was fatally injured at a sand & gravel mine with 3 employees* when leaving the mine site in his personal pickup truck.  The manual swing barrier gate was partially closed.  A gate pole entered the truck’s windshield as the pickup truck approached, striking the victim and causing fatal injuries.

Best Practices: 

  • Ensure that manual swing barrier gates can be secured when opened or closed to prevent unintentional movement.
  • Paint or tape swing barrier gates with reflective and distinguished markings to differentiate them from their surroundings.  Install additional lighting near barrier gates.
  • Conduct thorough travelway examinations to identify and mitigate hazards.
  • Establish safetraffic patterns with proper signage. 
  • Be alert to road conditions and always keep a clear line of sight.
  • Maintain proper speed for road conditions.

Additional Information: 

This is the ninth fatality reported in 2021, and the fifth classified as “Powered Haulage” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 4/19/21

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On April 19, 2021, a 28 year old haul truck driver with 37 weeks and 5 days experience* stopped his haul truck in front of his personal vehicle to get his lunch at a crushed stone mine with 27 employees.*  While standing and eating his lunch, the haul truck rolled forward, pinning the miner between the haul truck and his personal truck.

Best Practices: 

  • Do not leave mobile equipment unattended unless the controls are placed in the park position and the brake is set.  NEVER use a steering column-mounted “dump brake” for parking.
  • When parking mobile equipment on a grade, chock the wheels or turn them into a bank.Maintain equipment braking systems in good repair and adjustment.
  • Position yourself in a safe location away from potential “danger-zone” areas.
  • Train miners to safely perform their tasks.

Additional Information: 

This is the eighth fatality reported in 2021, and the fourth classified as “Powered Haulage.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 3/12/21

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On March 12, 2021, a 63 year old mine manager with 43 years mining experience and 7 years at the task* was fatally injured while attempting to insert a steel pin into a spud beam at a sand & gravel mine with 5 employees*.

Best Practices: 

  • Always assure hoisted equipment movement has stopped and the hoist operator has set the brake before working on hoisted equipment. 
  • Assure the hoist operator can see miners working on hoisted equipment.
  • Establish an effective communication protocol, which includes confirmation of instructions, between the hoist operator and miners working on hoisted equipment.
  • Position yourself in a safe location to maintain balance and protection from any energy of cantilevering tools or objects.
  • Stay in a Safe Zone when working around cables and sheave wheel systems.
  • Always maintain a work area that is clean and clear of debris.
  • Train equipment operators in the safe performance of their tasks and potential hazards.

Additional Information: 

This is the seventh fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Handling Material.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 3/5/21

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On March 5, 2021, a 63 year old mine manager* was fatally injured when the excavator he was operating rolled over into a body of water at a sand and gravel mine with 5 employees in Mount Sterling, IL*.

Best Practices: 

  • Construct berms or install guardrails on roadways where a drop-off exists.  Ensure berms and guardrails are at least as high as the mid-axle height of the largest equipment using the roadway.
  • Examine and maintain roadways to prevent slope instability such as over steepened banks, sloughs, and cracking on the roadway and bank.
  • Install locked gates at the entrances of roadways that are infrequently traveled.  Post speed limit signs and install delineators at the edges of roads.
  • Always wear seatbelts when operating mobile equipment.
  • When working near water, wear flotation devices and ensure combination seat belt cutter/window breaker tools are installed in equipment.  See safety alert https://www.msha.gov/news-media/alerts-hazards/mnm-safety-alert-water-related-safety.
  • Train equipment operators in the safe performance of their tasks, potential hazards, and the use of alternative/emergency exits in cabs.  Examine these exits during pre-operational examinations.

Additional Information: 

This is the sixth fatality reported in 2021, and the second classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 2/25/21

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On Feb. 25, 2021, a 26-year old plant operator died after entering a cyclone discharge box at an industrial sand mine with 9 employees in West Valley City, Nevada*.  The local fire department recovered the victim lodged in an 18-inch wide discharge pipe that was full of water.

Best Practices: 

  • Wear a fall protection harness, properly tie off to a permanent support structure, and attach a lifeline when entering a bin or other confined space.  Have a second person monitor the lifeline to make sure there is no slack in the fall protection system.
  • Use personnel lifts or ladders to safely access elevated work areas.
  • Always use fall protection when there’s a potential fall hazard.
  • Examine work areas and equipment.  Report defects and do not use unsafe work equipment.
  • Assess risks and hazards before beginning maintenance activities.
  • Train miners to safely perform their tasks and properly use their personal protective equipment.

Additional Information: 

This is the fifth fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 2/22/21

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On Feb. 22, 2021, a 26-year-old underground chute puller was fatally injured as a passenger of a rail-mounted locomotive when he was crushed between the deck of the locomotive and an overhead chute at a lead-zinc ore underground mine with 114 employees in Strawberry Plains, TN*.

Best Practices: 

  • Install controls such as rail stops at loading points, crossings, etc., where track equipment must stop. 
  • Install reflective signs or warning lights well in advance of low clearance areas to alert miners of the upcoming hazard.
  • Develop safe working procedures to avoid low clearance and pinch point areas.  Monitor workers to ensure these procedures are followed.
  • Always look in the direction the equipment is moving in, and keep all body parts within the operator’s compartment while a vehicle is moving.
  • Conduct proper travelway examinations to identify and mitigate the hazards presented by low clearances. 
  • Train all workers to recognize potential hazards and understand safe job procedures and tasks to eliminate hazards before beginning work.

Additional Information: 

This is the 4th fatality reported in 2021, and the third classified as “Powered Haulage.” *(details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), final report (pdf).