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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 #1 for Coal Mining 2013

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ftl2013c01On Saturday, January 26, 2013, a 52-year-old contract welder with 30 years of experience was killed while doing maintenance on a bulldozer. The victim was performing work to remove a damaged wear plate from the bulldozer’s center portion of the blade. At the time of the accident, a hydraulic jack was being used to push the wear plate away from the bulldozer blade. The victim was using an air chisel between the wear plate and the blade. The hydraulic jack slipped while the victim was using the air chisel and he was crushed between the blade and the damaged wear plate.

Best Practices

  • Ensure the power is off and the equipment is blocked against motion prior to performing maintenance.
  • Devise safe methods to complete tasks involving large objects, massive weights, or where the release of stored energy is a possibility.
  • Provide proper task training.
  • Never use a hydraulic jack as the only tool for supporting large objects, massive weights, or objects that have the potential for the release of stored energy.
  • Avoid metal to metal contact because it slides much easier than wood or other materials against metal.
  • Ensure that all contact areas where jacks or other blocking materials are to be installed are free from grease or other substances to decrease the likelihood of shifting and sliding.
  • Ensure that there is sufficient space around equipment to enable work to be performed safely.
  • Consult and follow the manufacturer’s recommended safe work procedures for the maintenance task and monitor work to ensure procedures are followed.
  • Ensure that contractors have safe work procedures in place for the specific task, machine, etc.
  • Before performing any job, consider all hazards and implement formal procedures that address possible hazards.

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

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m02

On January 21, 2013, a 54-year old mechanic with 6 years of experience was killed at a lime operation. The victim went to a kiln pre-heat deck to repair a leaking hydraulic cylinder that activates a pusher arm on the kiln. He was caught between the corner of the angle iron and the plate connecting the push rods.

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.
  • Before working on or near equipment, ensure that the equipment power circuits are locked out/tagged out and that the equipment is blocked against hazardous motion.
  • Require all persons to be positioned to prevent them from being exposed to any hazards.
  • Monitor personnel to ensure safe work procedures, including lock out/ tag out and safe work positioning, are followed.
  • Ensure guarding is in place to cover potential pinch points and moving parts in areas routinely accessed by personnel.

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

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2013

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ftl2013m01On January 7, 2013, a 49-year old assistant plant manager with 30 years of experience was injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim was working on a lift, taking samples from a highwall, when a large rock fell and struck him. He was hospitalized and died on January 19, 2013.

Best Practices

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures for working near highwalls. Identify and control all hazards.
  • Train all persons to recognize adverse conditions and environmental factors that can decrease highwall stability and understand safe job procedures to eliminate all hazards before beginning work.
  • Look, Listen and Evaluate pit and highwall conditions daily, especially after each rain, freeze, or thaw.
  • Remove loose or overhanging material from the face. Correct hazardous conditions by working from a safe location.
  • Ensure that work or travel areas and equipment are a safe distance from the toe of the highwall.

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

Fatality #20 for Coal Mining 2012

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ftl2012c20On Friday, December 14, 2012, a 52-year-old rock truck operator with over 13 years of mining experience fell from the truck he operated while attempting to ascend the access ladder to the operator’s cab. On December 28, 2012, he died of complications from the injuries sustained in the fall.

Best Practices
  • Always use the “Three Points of Contact” method. Ensure that either two hands and one foot, or one hand and two feet are in contact with the ladder at all times when mounting and dismounting equipment.
  • Keep hands free of any objects when mounting or dismounting equipment.
  • Maintain traction by ensuring footwear is free of potential slipping hazards such as dirt, oil, and grease.
  • Always face equipment when mounting or dismounting it.
  • Always maintain and use the access provided by the manufacturer.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #19 for Coal Mining 2012

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On Friday, November 30, 2012, a 58-year old bulldozer operator with 37 years of experience was killed when an upstream slope failure occurred at a coal slurry impoundment. The victim was grading the upstream slope at the time of the accident. The bulldozer was carried into the pool area during the slide and sank with the victim on board.

Best Practices
  • Provide hazard training to all personnel working on or near an impoundment for recognition of hazards associated with the impoundment and pushout work, such as surface cracks or bubbling in water/slurry.
  • Review safety precautions for upstream construction with equipment operators, along with material handling safety policies and designated storage areas for safety equipment.
  • Provide oversight by knowledgeable personnel at the work site. Assure that a person is present who is familiar with the mechanics of upstream construction and can recognize and have unsafe work practices and conditions corrected immediately.
  • Remove all personnel to a safe location when unsafe impoundment conditions are present.
  • Prior to initiating push-outs, expose the slurry delta by pumping excess surface water down to the maximum extent possible, and for as long as possible.
  • Use two-way radios or similar devices on all equipment during impoundment related construction, so that potential hazards can be communicated quickly with equipment operators and personnel.
  • Maintain a work skiff with oars and life jackets near the pushout area.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)

Fatality #17 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2012

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On November 1, 2012, a 30-year old contract driller with 6 years of experience was killed at a common shale operation. The victim apparently attempted to thread a new drill steel manually, with the use of a strap and the drill head rotating, when the rotating steel entangled him.

Best Practices

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards. Train all persons to recognize all potential hazards and understand safe job procedures to eliminate all hazards before beginning work.
  • Ensure that the manufacturer’s procedures are followed when adding drill steels.
  • Ensure that emergency stop/shut-off switches, panic bars, dead man devices, tethers, slap bars, rope switches, two handed controls, spring loaded controls, are functional and in easily accessible locations.
  • Never manually thread drill steels when the drill head is rotating.
  • Drills should be fitted with automated systems for changing rods, or two persons should be present when rods are changed manually.
  • Do not wear loose fitting clothing when working around drilling machinery. Avoid using a strap or other objects that could become entangled with or thrown from moving or rotating parts.
  • Monitor personnel routinely to ensure procedures are followed.

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

Fatality #16 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2012

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On October 24, 2012, a 52-year old utility miner with 19 years of experience was killed on the surface of an underground limestone mine. He was operating a forklift, traveling on a decline toward the mine entrance, when the forklift went out of control. The forklift struck a concrete support for the belt conveyor and overturned, killing him.

Best Practices

  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and ensure the service brakes are properly maintained and will stop and hold the mobile equipment prior to operating.
  • Ensure that mobile equipment operators are adequately task trained in all phases of mobile equipment operation before performing work.
  • Ensure the load is stable and secured on the forks of the forklift.
  • When descending a grade, operate the forklift with the load in the upgrade position.
  • Maintain control of self-propelled mobile equipment while it is in motion.
  • Operating speeds shall be consistent with conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Operate equipment within its designed limitations. Slow down or drop to a lower gear when necessary. Post areas where lower speeds are warranted.
  • Always wear a seat belt when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #15 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2012

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On October 10, 2012, a 55-year old contract painter with 35 years of experience was killed at a kaolin and ball clay operation. He was standing on the bottom of a 40-foot high, 50-foot diameter tank that was open to the atmosphere and covered with mesh cloth material. He was spraying coal tar on the inside walls of the tank and was found unconscious by coworkers. He was recovered by emergency personnel and pronounced dead at a hospital.

Best Practices

  • Develop, implement, and maintain a written Hazard Communication (HazCom) program.
  • Ensure that a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is accessible to persons for each hazardous chemical to which they may be exposed.
  • Review and discuss MSDS control section recommendations with employees that may be exposed to hazardous chemicals. Establish and discuss safe work procedures before starting any work and identify and control all hazards.
  • Train all persons to recognize and understand safe job procedures, including the physical and health hazards of chemicals that are being used and the proper use of respiratory protection, gloves, body suits, hearing, and eye & face protection.
  • Ensure that adequate ventilation is provided to all work areas.
  • Ensure that persons are not required to perform work alone in any area where hazardous conditions exist that would endanger their safety.
  • Conduct air monitoring with calibrated instruments to ensure a safe working atmosphere. Air monitoring should be done prior to workers entering the confined work space and continuously till the workers have exited the enclosed area. Atmospheric monitoring at minimum includes Oxygen, LEL and all potential toxic gases in the work place.

Based on MSHA’s investigation and the finding of the death certificate, MSHA later concluded that the miner died from natural causes and that the fatality is not chargeable.