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Fatality #12 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m12-1On May 9, 2014, a 20-year-old groundman with 9 weeks of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mill.  The victim was unloading a rail car using a mobile rail barge truck conveyor and was caught in the feed end of the conveyor.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that persons are trained, including task training, to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • 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.
  • Conduct work place examinations before beginning any work.
  • Position mobile conveyors to eliminate exposure of moving parts before operating.
  • Identify hazards around conveyor systems, design guards, and or emergency stop systems before putting into operation.
  • Always provide and maintain guarding sufficient to prevent contact with moving machine parts.
  • Do not wear loose fitting clothing when working near moving machine parts.
  • Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing a task.
  • Provide and maintain a safe means of access to all working places.

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

Fatality #11 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m11On May 1, 2014, a 57-year-old co-owner with 1 year of experience was killed at a gypsum mine.  The victim was driving an all terrain vehicle on the mine site to place signs around the perimeter of the mine.  He lost control of the vehicle while traveling on a steep hill and it overturned onto him.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that persons are trained to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • Ensure that operators are properly task trained before operating mobile equipment they may not be familiar with.
  • Maintain operating speeds consistent with road grades and conditions.
  • Load equipment and/or supplies properly on mobile equipment to ensure stability during operation.

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

Fatality #9 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m09On February 27, 2014, a 27-year-old contract mechanic with 2 years of experience was injured at an underground limestone mine.  The victim was repairing a hydraulic pump on a scaler when fell from an attached walkway approximately five feet to the ground.  He was airlifted to a hospital where he died the next day.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that persons are trained, including task-training, to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • 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.
  • Conduct work place examinations before beginning any work.
  • Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing a task.
  • Ensure effective gates, safety chains, or railings are used and properly maintained where openings may exist that could pose a hazard.

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

Fatality #7 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m07On April 17, 2014, a 58-year-old truck driver with 3½ years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mine. An excavator was loading material in a haul truck parked at the pit. When the victim exited the truck, he was struck by the excavator bucket and pinned against the truck.

Best Practices

  • 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.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
  • Ensure that haul truck operators remain in their trucks when being loaded.
  • Communicate with mobile equipment operators and ensure they acknowledge your presence.  Stay in the line of sight with mobile equipment operators.
  • Ensure that you make eye contact with mobile equipment operators before approaching their work areas.  Never assume the equipment operator sees you.
  • Never place yourself in a location where equipment operators can’t see you.
  • Before operating equipment, always ensure other miners are clear and safely  positioned.
  • Monitor persons routinely to determine 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 2014

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FAB14m04_clip_image004FAB14m04_clip_image002On March 27, 2014, a 64-year-old foreman with 32 years of experience was seriously injured when he was struck by a section of plastic water pipe as it was being moved by an excavator.  The victim was transported to a hospital where he died on March 30, 2014, as a result of his injuries.

Best Practices

  • Establish and 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 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.
  • Wear suitable hard hats where falling objects may create a hazard.
  • Stay clear of a suspended load.
  • Attach taglines to loads that may require steadying or guidance while suspended.
  • Implement measures to ensure persons are properly positioned and protected from hazards while performing a task.
  • Monitor persons routinely to determine 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 2014

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FAB14m03_clip_image002
On February 28, 2014, a 50-year old supervisor with 27 years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mine.  The victim was at a backfill site and approached an 80-foot high bank when it failed, engulfing him.

Best Practices

  • Establish and 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 persons.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions that can decrease bank or slope stability and ensure they understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards.
  • Prior to beginning work and as ground conditions warrant during the shift, examine all pit, highwall, slope, and bank conditions.  Be especially vigilant for these conditions after each rain, freeze, or thaw.
  • Use mining methods that ensure pit, highwall, slope, and bank stability and safe working conditions.
  • Correct hazardous conditions by working from a safe location.
  • Stay clear of potentially unstable areas.

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

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m02

On February 21, 2014, a 34-year old contract laborer with 6 months of experience was killed at a cement operation when attempting to access an elevator in the finish mill. When the victim opened the elevator door on the fourth floor landing, he stepped into the elevator shaft and fell approximately 51 feet to the top of the elevator car located on the ground floor.

Best Practices

  • Immediately report any elevator problems to management.
  • Ensure that any problems affecting the safety of an elevator are repaired promptly.
  • Ensure that elevator door interlocks, that prevent the door from being opened unless the elevator car is present, are functional.
  • Ensure that elevator doors will not open unless an elevator car is at the floor landing.
  • Install audible signals that sound when the elevator car is at the landing prior to the doors opening.
  • Train all persons to be aware of their surroundings when entering or exiting an elevator car.

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

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2014

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ftl2014m01On February 1, 2014, a 56-year old contract belt operator with 4 months of experience was killed at an iron ore mine. The victim was cleaning a return idler inside the frame of a belt conveyor when he became entangled between the return idler and the belt.

Best Practices

  • Establish policies and procedures for conducting specific tasks on belt conveyors.
  • Before beginning any work, ensure that persons assigned to clean belt conveyors 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.
  • Never clean pulleys or idlers manually while belt conveyors are operating.
  • Identify hazards around belt conveyor systems, design guarding, and securely install the guarding to ensure miners do not contact moving parts.

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

Fatality #22 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m22On December 10, 2013, a 27-year old deck hand with 4 years and 8 months of experience drowned at a dredge operation. He was working on a dredge that had a barge attached to it. The victim stepped on the barge and fell into the water.

Best Practices

  • Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and ensure they understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
  • Always wear a life jacket where there is a danger of falling into the water.
  • Remove snow and ice from work areas.
  • Ensure safe access is provided where persons are required to work or travel. Maintain three points of contact.
  • Install and use lifeline tie-off runs and fall protection.
  • Provide communication devices and establish procedures requiring persons to alert coworkers when they are outside the dredge’s handrails.

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