Surface

Coal Fatality – 8/11/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

On August 11, 2021, a 53-year-old contract truck driver with ten years’ experience was fatally injured while conducting a pre-operational examination of a truck at a mine in Mill Creek WV with 28 employees and 20 contractors*.  The rear wheels of the vehicle struck the truck driver when the truck rolled forward.

Best Practices: 

  • Block mobile equipment against motion.  Adequately chock wheels or turn wheels into a bank.
  • Use specially designed truck-wheel chocks of the appropriate size and material to hold the vehicle securely.  Do not use lumber, cinder blocks, rocks, or other makeshift items to chock.
  • Never position yourself in hazardous areas around equipment parked on a grade that is not blocked or secured from movement.
  • Maintain the equipment’s braking systems.  Perform repairs and adjustments when necessary and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.  Do not exceed the manufacturer’s load limits.

Additional Information: 

This is the 24th fatality reported in 2021, and the tenth classified as “Powered Haulage.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 8/3/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

On August 3, 2021, a 62 year old Utility Person with 14 years 48 weeks experience* was run over by a customer tractor-trailer while walking to his normal work area at a mine in Bridgeport, TX with 83 employees*.

Best Practices: 

  • Assure adequate illumination sufficient to provide safe working conditions.
  • Communicate with mobile equipment operators and make eye contact to ensure they acknowledge your presence. Be aware of the location and traffic patterns of mobile equipment in your work area.
  • Wear high visibility clothing when working around mobile equipment.
  • Wear strobe lights near mobile equipment.
  • Assure traffic controls provide for safe movement of mobile equipment and are followed. Operate mobile equipment at reduced speeds in work areas.
  • Stay clear of normal paths of travel for mobile equipment and train all persons to recognize work place hazards.

Additional Information: 

This is the 23rd fatality reported in 2021, and the ninth classified as “Powered Haulage.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 7/28/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

On July 28, 2021, a 42 year old ledge foreman with 12 years 7 weeks experience* was standing on a rock ledge at a mine with 8 employees in Elberton, GA* to extract dimensional stone when a triangular section of the rock broke off, causing the miner to fall approximately 35 feet.

Best Practices: 

  • Use fall protection when a potential fall hazard exists.  Ensure fall protection has a suitable fall arrest and secure anchorage system.
  • Examine working places to identify loose ground or unstable conditions before work begins, after blasting, and as changing ground conditions warrant.  Ensure examiners have adequate training and experience to recognize potential hazards.
  • Assess risks and control hazards before beginning work activities.  Remain a safe distance from cracks and any sign of unstable ground conditions.
  • Assure a safe means of access is provided and maintained to all working places.  Use personnel lifts and ladders, as required.
  • Train miners and ensure they perform work safely, use tools properly, and utilize personal protective equipment correctly.

Additional Information: 

This is the 21st fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Falling, Rolling, or Sliding Rock or Material of Any Kind.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 7/26/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

On July 26, 2021, a 33 year old contract iron worker with 8 years 13 weeks experience*, who was not wearing fall protection, was performing maintenance on a cement cooler at a mine in Stockertown, PA with 128 employees* when a wooden board broke, causing him to fall 23 feet onto a concrete floor.

Best Practices: 

  • Assure a safe means of access is provided and maintained to all working places.  Use personnel lifts or ladders to access elevated work areas safely.
  • Use fall protection when a fall hazard exists.  Ensure fall protection has a suitable fall arrest and secure anchorage system.
  • Examine work areas, tools, and equipment. Report and correct defects. Do not use unsafe equipment.
  • Assess risks and eliminate or control hazards before beginning maintenance activities. Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing a task.
  • Train miners and ensure they perform work safely, use tools properly, and utilize personal protective equipment correctly.

Additional Information: 

This is the 20th fatality reported in 2021, and the second classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.”(*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

Coal Fatality – 7/21/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

On July 21, 2021, a 31 year old millwright with 13 years experience* received fatal injuries at a mine in Wright, WY with 899 employees* while adding a boom extension to a crane.  The miner was working under the boom to remove the boom pins when he was struck by the boom.

Best Practices: 

  • Never perform work under raised machinery or equipment until such machinery or equipment has been securely braced in position, blocked and  secured against motion.  Be alert for hazards that may be created while the work is being performed. 
  • Conduct repairs from a safe location per manufacturer’s recommendations.  Verify the release of all stored energy before initiating repairs.
  • Use a lifting device compatible with the load being lifted and ensure blocking material is competent, substantial, and adequate to support and stabilize the load.  Always use the manufacturer’s safety devices or features to secure components against motion, and secure assemblies that rotate to prevent movement.
  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures before starting any task.  Train miners in safe work procedures and hazard recognition.  Monitor personnel routinely to ensure safe work procedures are being followed.

Additional Information: 

This is the 19th fatality reported in 2021, and the fourth classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 6/7/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

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 – 4/22/21

renewcomerLeave a comment

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

renewcomerLeave a comment

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

renewcomerLeave a comment

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

renewcomerLeave a comment

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).