Mining Fatalities

Fatality #10 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c10On Tuesday, July 2, 2013, a 35-year old continuous mining machine operator (victim), with 11 years mining experience, was killed when he was struck by a battery-powered coal hauler and pinned between the coal hauler and the coal rib. The victim was taking a lunch break behind a line curtain the No. 4 entry and the intersection of the last open crosscut, which was in the haulage route to the continuous mining machine.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that all persons are positioned to avoid danger from moving equipment. Never position yourself in an area or location where equipment operators cannot readily see you.
  • Use proximity detection systems to protect personnel from accidents of this type. See the proximity detection single source page on the MSHA web site.
  • Use transparent curtain for check and line curtains in the active face areas.
  • Sound audible warnings when the equipment operator’s visibility is obstructed, such as when making turns, reversing direction, or approaching ventilation curtains. Assure that the sound level of audible warnings is significantly higher than that of the ambient noise.
  • Energize the lights in the direction of travel when operating haulage equipment.
  • Equipment operators should come to a complete stop and sound an audible warning before proceeding through ventilation controls.

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

Fatality #9 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m09On June 13, 2013, a 50-year old mechanic with 15 years of experience was killed at a stone operation. He was operating a 35 ton articulated haul truck down a haul road. The truck went out of control and hit a berm, propelling it in the air. The truck came to a stop with the bed overturned and the cab upright. The victim was ejected from the truck.

Best Practices

  • Always wear a seat belt when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.
  • Do not operate mobile equipment with reported brake problems. Use other means to move the mobile equipment to a safe area for inspection and repair.
  • Ensure that mobile equipment operators are task trained adequately in all phases of mobile equipment operation, including the mobile equipment’s capabilities, operating ranges, load-limits and safety features, before operating mobile equipment.
  • Maintain equipment steering and braking systems in good repair and adjustment. Always follow the manufacturer’s service and maintenance schedules.
  • Never rely on engine brakes and transmission retarders as substitutes for keeping brakes properly maintained.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks to ensure the service brakes will stop and hold the mobile equipment prior to operating.
  • Operators of self-propelled mobile equipment shall maintain control of the equipment while it is in motion.
  • Operating speeds shall be consistent with conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Do not attempt to exit or jump from moving mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #8 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m08On June 2, 2013, a 42-year old miner with 2½ years of experience was killed at an underground gold mine. The victim was operating a Load Haul Dump (LHD), preparing to backfill a stope, when the LHD overtraveled the edge of the stope and fell into the open hole.

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.
  • Provide berms, bumper blocks, safety hooks or similar impeding devices at dumping locations where there is a hazard of overtravel or overturning.

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

Fatality #9 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c09On Thursday, June 6, 2013, a 36-year-old conveyor belt foreman with 4 years of mining experience was killed while checking a belt wiper at the belt conveyor discharge. He was positioned at the end of an elevated catwalk parallel to the belt drive to check the wiper. When the victim contacted the guardrail at the end of the catwalk, it gave way and he fell below onto the moving belt conveyor.

Best Practices

  • Check guards along belt conveyors for stability and good repair.
  • Train all employees thoroughly on the dangers of working or traveling around moving conveyor belts.
  • Install appropriately-designed railings, barriers, or covers at all required conveyor belt locations, and ensure it is maintained in structurally sound condition.
  • Perform thorough workplace examinations. Inspect the work areas for all potential hazards including places that persons may fall from or through.
  • Provide belt conveyor stop and start controls at areas where miners must access both sides of the conveyor. Provide these areas with adequate crossing facilities (e.g. cross-overs or cross-unders).
  • Do not assume handrails or guards are strong enough to support you, and never lean against or support your weight on guarding.

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

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).