Mining Fatalities

Fatality #7 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m07

On May 17, 2013, a 22-year old mucker with 31 weeks of experience was killed at an underground molybdenum mine. The victim was checking a derailed loaded ore car when he was pinned between it and another loaded ore car.

Best Practices

  • Establish policies and procedures for conducting specific tasks.
  • Before beginning any work, ensure that persons are properly task trained and understand the hazards associated with the work to be performed.
  • Maintain communications with all persons performing the task.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and ensure that all braking systems on mobile equipment are functioning properly.
  • Do not work or cross between rail cars unless the locomotive is stopped and the operator is notified and acknowledges your presence.
  • Never place yourself between rail cars without blocking them to prevent movement.
  • Maintain the track and track mounted equipment to prevent derails.

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

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m06On April 27, 2013, a 58-year old mechanic with 2 years of experience was killed at a surface gypsum operation. The victim was clearing a blockage on a mobile track-mounted crusher when he became entangled in the discharge conveyor.

Best Practices

  • Establish policies and procedures for conducting specific tasks on belt conveyors.
  • Before beginning any work, ensure that persons are task trained and understand the hazards associated with the work to be performed.
  • Do not perform work on a belt conveyor until the power is off, locked, and tagged, and machinery components are blocked against motion.
  • Provide emergency stop mechanisms at the control panel(s) and at ground level where maintenance or repair work is performed.
  • Provide appropriate controls to protect any person working near a stalled conveyor from unexpected motion.
  • Maintain communications with all persons performing the task. Before starting belt conveyors, ensure that all persons are clear.

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

Fatality #5 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m05On April 16, 2013, a 58-year old shaftman with 32 years of experience was seriously injured at an underground salt mine. The victim and two coworkers were replacing a bushing on the side of a skip hoist in the production shaft. The victim was standing on a steel beam outside the handrails of a covered work platform where the coworkers were standing, when a piece of salt fell and struck him. He was transported to a hospital where he died on April 17, 2013.

Best Practices

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed in a shaft with the methods to properly protect persons.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards, such as falling material, before beginning work.
  • Examine the shaft and remove loose material prior to commencing work.
  • Implement measures to ensure persons are properly positioned and protected from falling material while performing shaft maintenance work.
  • Perform shaft maintenance work from a substantial platform with adequate overhead protection.
  • Perform maintenance work for skip hoists and other conveyances on the surface whenever possible.
  • Monitor personnel routinely to determine that safe work procedures are followed.

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

Fatality #4 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m04On April 4, 2013, a 30-year old general foreman with 6 years of experience was killed at a copper ore operation. An excavator was being used to position a 36-inch diameter by 40-foot long section of pipe to connect it to another section of pipe. The pipe, attached to the excavator by a lifting strap, shifted and fell on the victim.

Best Practices

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed along with the methods to properly protect persons.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
  • Attach taglines to loads that may require steadying or guidance while suspended.
  • Securely block equipment against hazardous motion to ensure energy cannot be released while performing work.
  • Never work in the fall path of objects/materials of massive weights having the potential of becoming off-balanced while in a raised position.
  • Implement measures to ensure persons are properly positioned and protected from hazards while performing a task.
  • Monitor personnel routinely to determine that safe work procedures are followed.

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

Fatality #3 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m03On March 27, 2013, a 61-year old loader operator with 24 years of experience was killed at a crushed stone operation. The victim was in a front-end loader about 50 feet from the base of a highwall when a blast was initiated. Broken rock struck the front-end loader and covered it. The rock was removed from the front-end loader and the victim was recovered about 10 hours after the blast occurred.

 

Best Practices

 

  • Do not initiate a blast until it has been determined that all persons have been evacuated from the blast area.
  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed along with the methods to properly protect persons.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions, to ensure all persons have left the blast area, and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
  • Maintain and use all available methods of communication, such as sirens and radios, to warn persons of an impending blast. Establish methods to ensure that all persons are out of the blast area.
  • Before firing a blast give ample warning to allow all persons to be evacuated.
  • Guard or barricade all access routes to the blast area to prevent the passage of persons or vehicles.
  • Verify that the blasting procedures are effective and being followed at all times.

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

Fatality #8 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c08On Friday, March 22, 2013, a 29-year old continuous mining machine operator, with 9 years of mining experience, was killed while operating a remote-controlled continuous mining machine during retreat mining. While mining a left hand lift, the victim and his helper were positioned near the right rear corner of the continuous mining machine and the right rib. A section of roof, approximately 8 feet long by 7 feet wide and 16 inches thick, fell and broke several roof bolts. The fallen rock struck the victim and knocked down the victim’s helper, injuring him. The slab of rock that fell was a portion of a larger fall, approximately 20 feet wide by 25 feet long, that included the bolted roof between the rear of the continuous mining machine and the mobile roof support units located inby.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that the approved Roof Control Plan support provisions are suitable for the geological conditions at the mine and that the plan is followed.
  • Develop a map of geologic features, so additional support can focus on those areas.
  • Conduct frequent and adequate examinations of roof, face, and ribs. Be alert for changing conditions. When hazardous conditions are detected, danger off access to the area until it is made safe for work and travel.
  • Maintain proper entry widths and pillar dimensions.
  • Develop a safe procedure to align Mobile Roof Supports with the lift being mined.
  • Install and examine test holes regularly for changes in roof strata.
  • Take additional measures when hazards associated with draw rock are encountered, such as mining shorter cuts and decreasing roof bolt spacing.
  • When joints are encountered, install adequate supplemental support.

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

Fatality #7 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c07On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, at approximately 4:55 p.m., a 63-year-old roof bolter with 40 years of mining experience was killed when he was struck by a large piece of roof rock while installing a rib bolt on the right side of the number 8 right crosscut on the No. 1 Section. The victim was between the drill head and the ATRS when the roof fell on him. The rock was approximately 6 feet long by 5.5 feet wide and about 5 inches thick.

Best Practices

  • Conduct frequent and adequate examinations of the roof, face, and ribs. Be alert for changing conditions at all times. When hazardous conditions are detected, danger off access to the area until it is made safe for work and travel.
  • Develop and follow safe rib bolting procedures. Consult the manufacturer’s recommendations.
  • Adequately support, or scale down, any loose roof or rib material from a safe location before working or traveling in the area.
  • Ensure that Automated Temporary Roof Support (ATRS) systems on all roof bolting machines are maintained in good working condition.
  • Ensure that the approved Roof Control Plan is followed and is suitable for the geologic conditions encountered at the mine. If conditions change and cause the plan to no longer be suitable, the plan must be revised to provide adequate support for the control of the roof, face, and ribs.

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

Fatality #6 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c06On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, a 44-year old shuttle car operator, with four years of experience, was killed when he was pinned underneath the battery end of a section scoop. The accident occurred on the No. 3 Section in the first connecting crosscut inby the feeder between the Number 5 and 6 entries. The victim was shoveling along the ribs of the crosscut when a battery-powered scoop backed into the crosscut, striking him.

Best Practices

  • Train miners to establish and use effective means of communication while operating and working around mobile equipment.
  • Know your location relative to the movement of mobile equipment and never position yourself between any piece of equipment in motion and a stationary object. Assume the equipment operator has not seen you, unless eye contact is confirmed and signal your presence to equipment operators.
  • Install and utilize Proximity Detection Systems on continuous mining machines and haulage equipment to prevent these types of accidents and fatalities. See More…
  • Use cameras mounted on section haulage equipment and utility equipment, such as scoops, to improve the visibility of machine operators.
  • When operating equipment, sound audible warnings when traveling around turns or blind spots, through ventilation curtains, and any other time the equipment operator’s visibility is limited or obstructed.
  • Never position extraneous material or supplies on top of mobile equipment, or position the machine’s batteries in a manner which can interfere with or obstruct the visibility of the machine operator.

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

Fatality #5 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c05On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, a 51-year-old motorman with 31 years of mining experience was seriously injured while attempting to re-rail a shield carrier. The shield carrier was raised with an air bag. The victim was attempting to straighten the wheels and pry the wheel flange high enough to clear the rail. As the wheel flange cleared the rail, the shield carrier shifted, causing the slate bar to fly back and strike the victim in the face. The victim later died of the injury.
Best Practices

  • Block or secure equipment being raised against motion so it cannot suddenly shift.
  • Always be aware of the stored potential energy when raising or lowering items.
  • Make sure the lifting device has a secure base before lifting an item.
  • When lifting items and the desired height cannot be reached, block the item in position and lower the lifting device to establish a higher base.
  • Ensure that personnel are trained to recognize hazardous work procedures where inadvertent movements could cause injury.
  • Discuss work procedures and identify all hazards associated with the work to be performed, along with the methods to protect personnel.
  • Ensure personnel are equipped with proper equipment and are knowledgeable of safe procedures for rerailing.

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

Fatality #4 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c04On Wednesday, February 13, 2013, a 28-year-old continuous mining machine operator was killed when he was pinned between the tail of the remote controlled continuous mining machine and the coal rib. The victim had mined the first two lifts of the cut sequence in the No. 1 entry. While repositioning the continuous mining machine to mine the final cut on left side, the victim was pinned between the tail of the machine and the coal rib on the right side. The victim had 4 years and 2 months of mining experience, with 6 months of experience as a continuous mining machine operator.
Best Practices

  • Install and maintain proximity detection systems. See the proximity detection single source page on the MSHA website.
  • Develop programs, policies, and procedures for starting and tramming remote controlled continuous mining machines.
  • Frequently review, retrain, and discuss avoiding the “RED ZONE” areas when operating or working near a remote controlled continuous mining machine.
  • Train all production crews and management in the programs, policies, and procedures and ensure that they are followed.
  • Ensure that mining machine operators are in a safe location while tramming the continuous mining machine from place to place or repositioning in the entry during cutting and loading.
  • Ensure everyone is outside the machine turning radius before starting or moving the equipment.
  • When moving continuous mining machines where the left and right traction drives are operated independently, low tram speed should be used.
  • Assign another miner to assist the continuous mining machine operator when it is being moved or repositioned.
  • Train all persons in the programs, policies, and procedures for operating or working near remote controlled continuous mining machines. Additional information on preventing these types of accidents can be found at: MSHA’s Safety Targets Program Hit By Underground Equipment.

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