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Fatality #23 for Coal Mining 2011

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On Wednesday, December 7, 2011, at approximately 7:30 a.m., a 49-year-old excavator operator, with 20 years of mining experience, was fatally injured when a highwall he was working near collapsed. The excavator was being used to load rock trucks. The operator’s cab was positioned on the highwall side when the accident occurred.

Best Practices

  • Operate excavators with the cab perpendicular to, and away from, the highwall.
  • Design benches to safely accommodate the type of equipment used and include this in the Ground Control Plan.
  • Examine highwalls from as many perspectives as possible (bottom, sides, and top/crest) while maintaining the safety of the examiner(s). Look for signs of cracking or other geologic discontinuities.
  • Use auxiliary lighting during non-daylight hours to conduct highwall examinations and to illuminate active work areas.
  • Perform supplemental examinations of highwalls, banks, benches, and sloping terrain in the working area during inclement weather.
  • Immediately remove all personnel exposed to hazardous ground conditions, barricade, and/or post signs to prevent entry, and promptly correct the unsafe conditions.
  • Brief foremen and miners coming to work on any uncorrected hazardous conditions, and ensure the hazardous conditions are noted in the on-shift examination record book.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2012

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On January 27, 2012, a 69 year-old mobile equipment operator with 48 years of experience was killed at a cement operation. The victim was cleaning a tailpiece with a skid steer loader. He backed the loader in a drainage ditch, traveled in reverse about 150 feet, and went into a 5½-foot deep water hole.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that persons are task trained and understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • Equipment operators should be familiar with their working environment at all times.
  • Ensure that safety precautions are taken based on different weather and lighting conditions.
  • Keep mobile equipment a safe distance from the edge of water or embankments.
  • Barricade or post warning signs at all approaches in areas where health or safety hazards exist that are not immediately obvious to all persons. Warning signs shall be readily visible, legible, and display the nature of the hazard and any protective action required.
  • Provide and maintain berms or guardrails on the banks of roadways where a drop-off exists of sufficient grade or depth to cause a vehicle to overturn or endanger persons in equipment.
  • Monitor personnel’s work activities routinely to determine that safe work procedures are followed.
  • Operate equipment in a manner that maximizes visibility. Use a spotter when visibility of the work or travel areas is limited.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #22 for Coal Mining 2011

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On Saturday, December 3, 2011, at approximately 8:35 a.m., a bulldozer operator with 18 years of mining experience was seriously injured when the bulldozer he was operating travelled over a highwall and fell approximately 90 feet to the pit below. The victim was in the process of clearing topsoil from the bench in preparation for the next blast. The victim was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the bulldozer. The victim died on December 6, 2011, from the injuries sustained in this accident.

Best Practices

  • Ensure the ground control plan is adequate for the mining conditions.
  • Perform examinations of ground conditions, and perform additional checks during the work shift to ensure ground conditions have not changed.
  • Mark the limits of travel with pylons or reflectors.
  • Be aware of your location and proximity to the highwall. When operating a bulldozer close to an edge, always keep the blade between you and the edge. Bulldozer operators should not operate their machines parallel to the edge of highwalls.
  • Use a spotter to warn equipment operators when they approach the edge of a highwall.
  • Ensure seat belts are provided, maintained, and worn at all times.
  • Never jump out of equipment.
  • Visit MSHA’s Safety Target Single Source Page for additional safety information concerning bulldozers.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf),  MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #16 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2011

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On December 15, 2011, a 22 year-old laborer with 3 months of experience was killed at a surface stone operation. The victim, who was last seen on a control tower, fell into an operating jaw crusher.

Best Practices
 

  • Always use fall protection when working where a fall hazard exists.
  • Establish policies and procedures for safely clearing plugged material in a jaw crusher.
  • Ensure that persons are task trained and understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.
  • Deenergize and Lock-out/tag-out all power sources before working on crushers.
  • Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards.
  • 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 #21 for Coal Mining 2011

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On Wednesday, November 2, 2011, a 28 year old bulldozer operator, with approximately 8 years of mining experience, was injured at a surface mine. The victim was conducting reclamation work on top of a graded slope when he lost control of the bulldozer and it rolled over several times, approximately 250 feet to the bottom of the slope. The operator was wearing a seat belt, but sustained serious injuries. He was hospitalized and died subsequently on November 14, 2011.

Best Practices

  • Task train miners adequately on the equipment they will operate.
  • Train all employees on proper equipment operation procedures, hazard recognition, and hazard avoidance.
  • Establish and follow safe work procedures and ensure that personnel are trained to recognize hazardous work procedures or activity.
  • Be familiar with your work environment. Before you start grading an area, look at it, walk around it, and plan the safest way to move the material and maneuver the equipment.
  • Install tilt gauges in dozers and do not exceed the equipment’s maximum operating angles.
  • Maintain control of equipment at all times during operation.
  • Ensure that personnel operating mobile equipment always wear seat belts.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #18 & #19 for Coal Mining 2011

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On Friday, October 28, 2011, a 47-year old lead blaster and 23-year old blaster helper were killed when the 1-ton truck they were riding was struck and completely covered by fallen rock from a failed highwall. The victims were driving in the pit, past a trackhoe loading coal as they approached their work area. The rock reached approximately 80′ across the 100′ wide pit and struck the trackhoe and a haulage vehicle being loaded at the time of the accident.

Best Practices

  • Train all miners to recognize hazardous highwall conditions.
  • Look, Listen and Evaluate your highwall and pit conditions daily, especially after each rain, freeze, or thaw.
  • Be your own examiner and find hazards before they find you.
  • Maintain adequate lighting to aid in examinations of highwalls and pit during no light or low light situations.
  • Observe and communicate highwall hazards immediately.
  • Insure appropriate action is taken to remove the hazards associated with any anomaly that may appear in the highwall or pit.
  • Ensure that personnel’s work or travel areas and mining systems or equipment are operating are a safe distance from the toe of the highwall.
  • Follow safe job procedures.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #17 for Coal Mining 2011

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On Monday, October 17, 2011, a 62-year old miner was killed on the surface of the underground mine while using a jumper cable to move a track-mounted back hoe machine at a gap in the trolley wire. When reenergized by a jumper cable, the machine struck and ran over him. The victim had 30 years of mining experience, with one day of experience operating this machine.

Best Practices

  • Assure all tram control switches are in the off position and the brake is set before applying a DC power jumper to the machine.
  • Always attach a nip on the machine first, then attach the nip on trolley wire, while standing in a safe location.
  • Ensure adequate task training is provided to equipment operators which cover all machine controls, functions and hazards related to the machine operation and any safe operating procedures related to the specific equipment operation.
  • Use self-centering tram/power controls to limit unexpected machine movement.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #11 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2011

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On October 28, 2011, a 21 year-old contract tire repair technician with 37 weeks of experience was killed at a surface gold operation. The victim was working in a shop repairing a haul truck tire. He was applying adhesive inside the tire and was completely out of view. He was not wearing respiratory protection.

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. 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.
  • Ensure that adequate exhaust 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.

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

Fatality #10 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2011

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On September 23, 2011, a 32 year-old plant operator with 10 years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel operation. The victim was changing a screen in the plant when he fell approximately 56 feet to the ground below. He was standing on a steel rail that had been placed between the midrail of the protective rail surrounding the screen deck work platform and the screen structure.

Best Practices

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Before starting any work, identify and control all hazards.
  • Train all persons to recognize and understand safe job procedures, including the purpose of fall protection barriers and the proper use of fall protection.
  • Always use fall protection when working where a fall hazard exists.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #9 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2011

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On September 13, 2011, a 38 year-old miner with 3 years of experience was killed at a portable sand and gravel operation. The victim opened the 480 volt feeder box at the motor control center and started to remove the leads when he received a fatal shock.

Best Practices

  • Be trained on all the electrical tests and safety equipment necessary to safely test and ground the circuit being worked on.
  • Conduct a risk assessment.
  • Use properly rated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including Arc Flash Protection such as a hood, gloves, shirt, and pants.
  • Positively identify the circuit on which work is to be conducted.
  • De-energize power and ensure that the circuit is visibly open.
  • Place YOUR lock and tag on the disconnecting device.
  • Verify the circuit is de-energized by testing for voltage using properly rated test equipment.
  • Ensure ALL electrical components in the enclosure are de-energized.
  • Ground ALL phase conductors to the equipment grounding medium with grounding equipment that is properly rated.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview (pdf).