Metal/Nonmetal

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On June 23, 2018, a 46-year old electrician with 10 weeks of experience was fatally injured while trying to stop runaway railcars.  The miner ran to the front of a set of moving railcars and jumped on in order to set the hand brake.  The miner then attempted to jump clear and was fatally injured when he was run over by the moving railcars.

Best Practices

  • Apply a mechanical hand brake to ensure a railcar does not move when it is stopped for loading, unloading, or storage.  Use wheel chocks or derail devices for added protection against accidental movement.
  • Never attempt to mount, crossover, cross under, or dismount a railcar while it is moving.
  • Train personnel in the safe procedures of working with railcars.  Establish safe work procedures and ensure all personnel involved communicate clearly with each other.

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

Fatality #5 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On June 13, 2018, a 65-year old truck driver with 4 years of experience was fatally injured when his truck traveled over a berm and into an impoundment of water.  Divers recovered the victim in 20 feet of water.

Best Practices

  • Maintain control and stay alert when operating mobile equipment.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment. Maintain equipment braking and steering systems in good repair and adjustment.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Ensure that berms are adequate for the vehicles present on site, including but not limited to height, material, and built on firm ground.
  • Consider storing personal flotation devices in equipment that is being operated near water.
  • Ensure that all exits from cabs on mobile equipment, including alternate and emergency exits, are maintained and operable.
  • Use seat belts when operating mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #4 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On May 9, 2018, a 27-year old kiln technician with 32 weeks of experience was burned while lighting a gas fired kiln. There was a blow back when igniting the kiln and the miner received burn injuries to his head and chest.  The miner succumbed to his injuries on May 28, 2018.

Best Practices

  • Remove flammable and combustible materials from areas prior to cutting, welding, or other hot work. A qualified person should monitor nearby areas where heavy vapors could migrate and accumulate.
  • Ventilation systems should be properly designed, installed, and maintained.
  • Install fixed monitoring systems with alarms in areas with potential for flammable and other hazardous atmospheres and calibrate and maintain them regularly.  The systems should have redundant controls and system readouts located inside and outside of hazardous areas.
  • Process equipment and systems should be properly designed and completely installed prior to use.
  • Inerting systems should be properly designed, installed, adequately filled, and maintained.
  • Do not work in areas where concentrations of vapors can be immediately fatal (Lower Explosive Limit), Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health, or where they exceed permissible exposure limits (PELs) to produce adverse health effects.
  • Minimize or eliminate hazards by using appropriate engineering and administrative controls.

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

Fatality #3 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On April 12, 2018, a 60-year old customer truck driver was killed when he fell from, and was run over by, his truck while scanning into the operator’s check-in system.  The victim was found underneath the belly dump of the semi-trailer, and the truck was still in gear.

Best Practices

  • Implement check-in system technology that can be scanned remotely from inside the vehicle such as a RFID tag or indicator.
  • Commercial and customer truck drivers should remain in their trucks while on mine property, unless a safe area for tarping and checking their loads has been designated.
  • Operators should place their equipment in neutral and set the parking brakes before exiting the operator compartment.
  • Rules establishing safe operating procedures should be posted.
  • Ensure workers who operate heavy equipment are adequately informed, instructed, trained and supervised.

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

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On March 14, 2018, a 56-year old crusher maintenance employee with 15 years of mining experience sustained a fatal injury to his head while installing discharge chutes on the screen deck.  The suspended chute shifted striking him.

Best Practices

  • Stay clear of a suspended load.
  • Follow proper rigging procedures when lifting loads.
  • Establish safe work procedures and identify and remove hazards before beginning repair or maintenance tasks. Follow the equipment manufacturer’s procedures for the work being performed to ensure that all hazards have been addressed.
  • Use welded lifting eyes that are specifically intended for lifting and adequately rated for the loads being lifted.
  • Carefully inspect all rigging prior to each use.
  • Train persons to recognize and control all hazards associated with performing repair or maintenance tasks.
  • Persons should communicate during maintenance tasks with each other.
  • Position yourself only in areas where you will not be exposed to hazards resulting from a sudden release of energy.
  • Attach taglines to loads that may require steadying or guidance while suspended. Stand clear of items of massive weights having the potential of becoming off-balanced while being loaded or unloaded
  • Assign a sufficient number of persons to repair or maintenance tasks to ensure the tasks can be safely performed.
  • Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing repair or maintenance tasks.
  • Miners should wear fall protection when working at elevated heights.

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

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On January 25, 2018, a 38-year old equipment operator with 4 years of mining experience was killed when his articulated haul truck travelled through a berm and into an ice covered pond, submerging the truck’s cab.  Rescuers utilized divers and tow trucks to pull the submerged truck from the pond and recover the victim.

Best Practices

  • Do not operate heavy equipment when fatigued. The effects of fatigue include tiredness, reduced energy, and physical or mental exhaustion. These conditions become progressively worse as fatigue increases.
  • Maintain control and stay alert when operating mobile equipment. Monitor persons routinely to determine safe work procedures are followed.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment.  Maintain equipment braking and steering systems in good repair and adjustment.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Ensure that berms are adequate for the vehicles present on site, including but not limited to height, material, and built on firm ground.
  • Ensure that all exits from cabs on mobile equipment, including alternate and emergency exits, are maintained and operable.
  • Use seat belts when operating mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #13 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2017

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On December 30, 2017, an employee in a pickup truck approached the quarry loadout area to get the Front End Loader (FEL) operator for lunch. The FEL backed into the pickup, pushing it sideways and crushing the driver’s side of the pickup cab, trapping the victim inside the truck. The pickup truck caught fire and efforts by the FEL operator and a nearby contractor to put the fire out using fire extinguishers were not successful.

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 all persons are trained to recognize workplace hazards – specifically, the limited visibility and blind areas inherent to operation of large equipment and the hazard of mobile equipment traveling near them.
  • Ensure, by signal or other means, that all persons are clear before moving equipment.
  • Minimize situations where smaller vehicles need to approach large front end loaders.
  • Do not drive or park smaller vehicles in mobile equipment’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 #11 & #12 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining

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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 #10 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2017

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On October 17, 2017, a miner was fatally injured while operating a bulldozer on a downward slope. While pushing overburden to a rock bench below the top of the pit, he was ejected from the cab and run over by the left track. The machine continued to tram over the edge of the 58′ highwall.

Best Practices

  • Always wear a seatbelt when operating mobile equipment.
  • Never jump from moving mobile equipment.
  • Ensure that persons are trained, including task-training, to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • Block the dozer against motion by setting the parking brake and lowering the blade to the ground before dismounting equipment.  Set the transmission lock lever to ensure the transmission is in neutral.
  • 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.

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

Fatality #9 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2017

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On September 20, 2017, a contractor was fatally injured while rappelling within a conditioning tower.  The victim was examining the inside of a 300’ vertical conditioning tower when an object fell from above and struck him in the head. The victim was conscious and transported to a local hospital where he died of his injuries the next day.

Best Practices

  • Remove all loose materials and other hazards before working.
  • Have fall protection and available and ready for use.
  • Check bin atmosphere for oxygen content, combustible gases, and toxic contaminants.
  • Provide adequate lighting.
  • Be sure the person entering the bin is trained in safe entry and confined space procedures.
  • Have standby personnel available to observe and to assist in an emergency.

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