Surface

Fatality #7 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2015

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m07On May 28, 2015, a 61-year old water truck operator with 2 years of experience was killed at a surface gold mine. The victim was killed when a water truck ran over a portable toilet that was occupied by the victim.

Best Practices

  • Locate portable toilet facilities in areas inaccessible to mobile equipment.  Always be aware of equipment operating in close proximity to your area.
  • Ensure that all persons are clear before moving equipment.
  • Sound your horn to warn  persons prior to moving mobile equipment  and wait a few moments to give them time to get to a safe location.
  • Communicate with mobile equipment operators before getting on or off of equipment and ensure they acknowledge your presence.
  • Establish rules and use signs or signals warning of hazards at locations where pedestrians and mobile equipment are both performing tasks.

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

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2015

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m06On March 23, 2015, a 48-year old mine operator with 20 years of experience was killed at a dimension stone operation.  The victim was operating a walk-behind masonry saw, positioned between the saw and a ledge, when he tripped and fell.  The victim and the saw went over the 4½-foot ledge, resulting in the saw falling on him.

Best Practices

  • Identify all hazards and use appropriate controls to protect miners prior to conducting any work.
  • Ensure that operators are in a safe position and have control of their equipment at all times.
  • Keep workplaces free of tripping hazards.
  • Use barricades or railings at edges of drop-offs where persons are in danger of falling.
  • Equip walk behind masonry saws with automatic shut off devices to stop the engine if the operator cannot maintain control of the equipment.
  • Design bench top stone cutting patterns to ensure the saw operator is not positioned between the saw and the drop off edge.

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

Fatality #7 for Coal Mining 2015

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c07On Tuesday, March 17, 2015, a 52-year-old contract truck driver was killed while driving a fuel truck on a mine haulage road.  The tandem axle truck was found on its top near the bottom of a long descending grade which included a sharp curve to the right.  The fuel truck was fully loaded with approximately 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel.  After interviews, investigators could not determine if the victim was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Best Practices

  • Always wear your seatbelt while operating mobile equipment.
  • Incorporate engineering controls that require seat belts to be properly fastened before equipment can be put into motion.
  • Monitor employees regularly to ensure seat belts are worn.
  • Maintain full control of equipment at all times while it is in motion.  Take into account weather and road conditions (steep grades, inclement weather, low visibility, etc.).  Ensure work areas are properly illuminated at night.
  • Never exceed a vehicle’s design capabilities, operating ranges, load limits, and safety features.  Always select the proper gear and shift to this lower gear well in advance of descending grades.
  • Maintain equipment braking systems in good repair and adjustment.  Never rely on engine brakes and transmission retarders as substitutes for keeping brakes properly maintained.
  • Conduct thorough pre-operational examinations to identify and repair defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment before it is placed into service.
  • Post conspicuous signs along haulage roads to inform operators of speed limits, approaching grades and curves, and the use of an appropriate gear to maintain a safe speed.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #5 for Coal Mining 2015

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c05.jpgOn May 28, 2015, a 45-year-old surface foreman with 27 years of experience was killed when he was crushed between the frames of a road grader and a tractor that was transporting a base power module for a highwall miner.  The foreman was in the process of connecting a chain between the two machines when the road grader rolled back and crushed him.

Best Practices

  • Never position yourself between equipment that is not blocked and secured from movement.
  • Turn the engine off, place the transmission in gear, set the park brake, and always ensure equipment is securely blocked against motion, before performing repair or maintenance work, which includes connecting tow bars.
  • Use a tow bar with adequate length and proper rating when towing heavy equipment.  A chain should never be used to tow mobile equipment.
  • If mobile equipment must be towed, the equipment should be on level firm ground and secured from movement prior to connecting the equipment.
  • Ensure miners are adequately trained on proper towing procedures.
  • Ensure mobile equipment operators are aware of your location at all times.
  • Maintain communications with mobile equipment operators while working in close proximity to equipment.  Utilize radios to communicate when visual contact cannot be maintained.
  • Maintain equipment braking systems in good repair and adjustment.  Do not depend on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment stationary.
  • Conduct pre-operational examinations to identify and repair defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment before it is placed into service.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #5 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2015

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m05On March 17, 2015, a 44-year old haul truck driver with 4 days of experience was injured at a dredge operation. He was operating a loaded articulated haul truck along an elevated roadway next to a dredge pond. After traveling about 125 yards from the loading point, the haul truck drifted into the water. The victim was removed from the truck, transported to a hospital, and then transferred to a trauma center where he died on March 19, 2015.

Best Practices

  • Task train mobile equipment operators adequately and ensure each operator can demonstrate proficiency in all phases of mobile equipment operation before performing work.
  • Provide and maintain adequate berms or guardrails on the banks of roadways where a drop-off exists.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment.
  • Always wear a seat belt when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.
  • Maintain control of self-propelled mobile equipment while it is in motion.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Conduct adequate work place examinations using competent persons and promptly correct hazardous conditions that adversely affect safety and health.
  • Ensure that all exits from cabs on mobile equipment are maintained and operable.

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

Fatality #4 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2015

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m04On January 26, 2015, a 57-year old heavy equipment operator with 36 years of experience was seriously injured at a phosphate mine.  He was operating an excavator near a water filled ditch when the excavator tipped forward and went in the water, submerging the cab.  The victim was removed from the cab and transported to a hospital where he died later that day.

Best Practices

  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and safe job procedures to identify and eliminate all hazards before beginning work, specifically the limited visibility of large equipment.
  • Discuss safe work procedures before beginning work.  Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed and the methods to properly protect miners.
  • Provide traffic patterns and roads that minimize the danger of machines traveling near bodies of water.
  • Conduct examinations of travelways to evaluate hazards.
  • Install barriers, markers, or other warning devices to aid equipment operators where travelways are not recognizable or hazards are not apparent.  Limit travel of mobile equipment and inform mobile equipment operators of hazards.
  • Do not travel into areas where ground conditions can’t be verified.  If necessary, use the bucket of the machine to probe the travel/work area to check the ground conditions.

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

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2015

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1On January 8, 2015, a 63-year old sales manager with 11 years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mine. He was installing new screen panels in the B tower screen. The feeder box pivoted, pinning him between the box and the rear support beam of the screen deck.

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.
  • Always follow the equipment manufacturer’s recommended maintenance procedures when conducting repairs to machinery.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and understand safe job procedures to eliminate all hazards before beginning work.
  • Securely block equipment and components against hazardous motion at all times while performing work.
  • Ensure that blocking material is competent, substantial, and adequate to support the load.
  • Require all persons to be positioned to prevent them from being exposed to any hazards.  Do not work in pinch points where inadvertent movement could cause injury.
  • Monitor all persons to ensure safe work procedures, including safe work positioning, are followed.

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

Fatality #25 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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m25On November 10, 2014, a 45-year old crusher operator with 3 years of experience was seriously injured at a granite mine. The miner was using a torch to cut a drill bit that was wedged in a jaw crusher when the bit freed and struck him. The victim was hospitalized and died on January 17, 2015, as a result of his injuries.

Best Practices

  • Task train miners to identify and control all hazards associated with their work.
  • Establish and discuss policies and procedures for safely clearing a jaw crusher.
  • Implement measures to ensure miners are positioned safely and protected from hazards while performing a task.
  • Consider a mechanical method for clearing material to minimize exposure.
  • Before working on or near equipment, deenergize the power and lock out/tag out.
  • Securely block equipment against hazardous motion to ensure energy cannot be released.
  • Provide a safe means of access for miners required to maintain a jaw crusher.
  • Provide guards, shields, or other devices to protect miners from flying or falling materials at screens, crushers, or conveyors.
  • Install equipment to detect and prevent metal from entering a crusher.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #24 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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m24On December 29, 2014, a 21-year-old warehouse bagger with 1 week of experience was killed at a clay mine. The victim was operating a forklift, hauling a bag of dust, when the forklift overturned.

Best Practices

  • Indoctrinate new employees in safety rules and safe work procedures.
  • Task train mobile equipment operators adequately in all phases of mobile equipment operation before operating mobile equipment.
  • Monitor new miners routinely to determine that 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.
  • Ensure the load being transported is within the weight capacity of the machine and within the reach limits for stable operation.
  • Ensure the load being transported is secured to prevent shifting.
  • Always wear a seat belt when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.
  • Maintain control of self-propelled mobile equipment while it is in motion.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #23 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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m23On December 1, 2014, a 46-year-old contract truck driver with 26 years of experience was killed at a limestone mine.  The articulating haul truck he was operating traveled over a roadway berm and went into a large pond.  Dive teams extricated the victim from the truck.

Best Practices

  • Task train mobile equipment operators adequately in all phases of mobile equipment operation before operating mobile equipment.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment.
  • Always wear a seat belt when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.
  • Maintain control of self-propelled mobile equipment while it is in motion.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Provide and maintain adequate berms or guardrails on the banks of roadways where a drop-off exists.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)