Underground

Fatality #10 for Coal Mining 2012

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On Monday, June 25, 2012, at approximately 11:45 AM, a 33-year-old outby foreman with 7 years of experience was killed while installing additional rib/roof support in the No. 5 belt/track entry. The victim was wedging a timber against the mine roof to support the rib, when a section of the left hand rib rolled on top of him. The rock was approximately 14 feet long, 4 feet high, and 17 inches thick.

  • Conduct thorough pre-shift and on-shift examinations of the roof, face, and ribs. A thorough exam must be conducted before any work or travel is started in an area and thereafter as conditions warrant.
  • Support any loose roof or rib material adequately or scale loose material from a safe location before working or traveling in an area.
  • Danger-off areas that have hazardous roof or rib conditions until they are made safe.
  • Take additional safety precautions when mining heights increase because rib fall injury rates increase substantially as the mining height increases.
  • Use rib bolting to control unstable ribs. Rib bolts provide the best protection against rib falls and are most effective when installed on cycle and in a consistent pattern.
  • Be alert to changing geologic conditions which may affect roof/rib conditions.
  • Ensure that the Approved Roof Control Plan is followed and is suitable for the geologic conditions encountered.
  • Revise the Approved Roof Control Plan as needed when adverse conditions are encountered.

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

Fatality #9 for Coal Mining 2012

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On May 24, 2012, a 43-year-old shaft worker with 39 weeks of mining experience died from injuries he received on May 15, 2012. The victim was helping pour concrete in a 30-foot diameter shaft that was under construction. The victim and his coworkers were using a hose to direct concrete into forms that lined the shaft wall. The hose was overloaded as concrete came out of the hopper too fast, which caused the hose to surge. This sudden movement of the hose knocked the victim and his coworkers off their feet, resulting in a fracture to the left leg of the victim. The victim was treated at a local hospital and released. On May 24, 2012, he passed away at his residence as a result of complications of this injury.

Best Practices

  • Provide a means to control water, air, concrete, etc., lines when they are pressurized to prevent surges and other unintended movement.
  • Train miners on procedures and safety precautions to take if the discharge line becomes plugged or overloaded.
  • Provide positive communication between the worker controlling the flow and the workers manually handling the concrete hose.
  • Safety chains or guarding should be used at concrete hose discharge location.
  • Anchor the discharge line to prevent it from movement in the event of a surge.

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

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2012

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Best Practices

  • Ensure that mobile equipment operators are task trained adequately and demonstrate proficiency in all phases of mobile equipment operation before performing work.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and ensure the service brakes are properly maintained and will stop and hold the mobile equipment prior to operating.
  • Operators of self-propelled mobile equipment shall maintain control of the equipment while it is in motion.
  • Operating speeds shall be consistent with conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Ensure that equipment manufacturer’s load limits are not exceeded.
  • 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.
  • Ensure that equipment operators maintain adequate communications.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #6 for Coal Mining 2012

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On Friday, March 23, 2012, a 37-year old electrician, with approximately 3½ years experience (approximately 1½ years as an electrician), was killed when he contacted the energized conductors of a shuttle car trailing cable. He was making the final electrical connections for a replacement cable reel when he was electrocuted.

Best Practices

  • Develop a hazard analysis work plan before conducting repairs.
  • Always lock and tag-out electrical equipment prior to electrical work.
  • Perform your own lock and tag-out procedure. Never rely on others to de-energize or disconnect a circuit for you.
  • Use proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all electrical work.
  • Ensure that all electrical circuits and circuit breakers are identified properly before troubleshooting or performing electrical work.
  • Use properly rated non-contact voltage testers to ensure that circuits are de-energized.
  • Eliminate personal distractions when working on equipment.

For more information related to Lock and Tag safety, click on the following link on the MSHA Web site: Lock and Tag Safety

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

Fatality #4 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2012

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On March 20, 2012, a 54 year-old mine owner with approximately 25 years of experience was killed at an underground gemstone mine. He was cleaning fine ore with a shovel and loading it in the bucket of a front-end loader when rock fell from the top left rib about 20 feet high. The victim was working alone.

Best Practices

  • Examine work areas and identify and control all hazards before starting any work.
  • Establish safe work procedures and train all persons to recognize and understand these procedures.
  • Always examine, sound, and test for loose ground in areas before starting to work, after blasting, and as ground conditions warrant.
  • Test for loose material frequently during work activities and where necessary, scale loose material safely.
  • Install ground support in roof and ribs where conditions warrant.
  • Do not perform work alone in any area where hazardous conditions exist that would endanger your safety.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf).

Fatality #4 for Coal Mining 2012

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On Saturday, March 10, 2012, at approximately 6:15 p.m., a 34-year-old section foreman with 11 years of experience was killed while operating a continuous mining machine in the No. 2 entry. He was struck by a section of rock that fell from the right-hand rib. The rock was approximately 10 feet and 6 inches long, 3 feet and 4 inches high, and 10 inches thick.

Best Practices

  • Conduct thorough pre-shift and on-shift examinations of the roof, face, and ribs. A thorough exam must be conducted before any work or travel is started in an area and thereafter as conditions warrant.
  • Support any loose roof or rib material adequately or scale loose material before working or traveling in an area.
  • When hazardous roof or rib conditions are detected, areas should be dangered-off until they are made safe.
  • Rib bolts, installed on cycle and in a consistent pattern, provide the best protection from rib falls.
  • Assure that the Approved Roof Control Plan is followed and is suitable for the geologic conditions encountered. If adverse conditions are encountered, the plan must be revised to provide adequate support for the control of the roof, face, and ribs.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf),  MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #3 for Coal Mining 2012

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On Saturday, March 3, 2012, a 32-year old foreman was killed while attempting to install a canopy on a Joy 21 SC Shuttle Car. The canopy was suspended from the mine roof by a cable and chain. The foreman was seated in the operator’s compartment of the shuttle car beneath the suspended canopy. The canopy shifted and fell, striking the foreman in the head, causing fatal injuries. The victim had 11 years of mining experience, 2 years and 6 weeks experience at this mine, and 32 weeks of experience as a foreman.

Best Practices

  • Before performing a materials handling job, consider all hazards and implement formal procedures that address possible hazards.
  • Devise safe methods to complete tasks involving large objects, massive weights, or the release of stored energy.
  • Always de-energize equipment and block against motion.
  • Never use permanent roof support as a mechanism for lifting heavy objects. Install lifting points that are designed and manufactured to support the intended load.
  • Use only devices designed and rated for the suspension of heavy loads and do not exceed the rated capacity of your hoisting, towing, or rigging tools.
  • When working with or near extremely heavy objects/materials suspended overhead, use a positive means to prevent objects/materials from falling, or moving.
  • Never work in the fall path of objects/materials or massive weights having the potential of becoming off-balanced while suspended.
  • Train personnel to recognize hazardous work procedures, including working in pinch points where inadvertent movement could cause injury.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf),  MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #1 for Coal Mining 2012

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On January 18, 2012, a 44-year-old utility/diesel tram operator with 1 year and 8 months mining experience, died from injuries he received on January 11, 2012. The miner was repairing a damaged water outlet (fire valve manifold) when a 1.5 inch bronze ball valve (quarter turn valve) catastrophically failed, propelling the steel manifold into the miner’s face/head. This fire valve manifold was originally damaged when an oversized load being transported on the adjacent mine track haulage system contacted the outlet causing it to separate from the 6″ mine water supply. The failure resulted from the internal threaded body of the valve separating from the external threaded portion of the valve.

Best Practices

  • When performing work on pressurized water supply piping systems, STOP ALL water flow into the pipe being worked on; BLEED ALL residual pressure from the pipeline, and when possible, OPEN A VALVE at an alternate location to ensure constant pressure relief. LOCK OUT and TAG OUT these valves to ensure safety while repairs are made.
  • NEVER REUSE components in a pressurized line that may have been damaged or compromised.
  • Ensure that components, such as valves, couplings etc. used in a pressurized water system are compatible with the highest measured or expected STATIC pressure in the system.
  • Implement a Standard Operating Procedure for the design, installation, testing, and maintenance of pressurized fluid systems that is consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.
  • Install slow closing indicating valves. When opening a valve to put water flow into a pressurized system, do it slowly and minimize your exposure to pressurized components. See slow closing indicating valves on MSHA’s Belt Fire Suppression Simulator at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy. http://www.msha.gov/alerts/SafetyFlyers/ScoreaTDMineFire2009.pdf
  • Inspect, examine, and evaluate all materials that are being used during installation, replacement, or repair of pressurized water systems to ensure suitability.
  • Properly train all miners on the hazards associated with working on or around pressurized fluid piping systems.
  • Maintain safe and adequate clearance to prevent mobile equipment and machinery from contacting pressurized lines, valves, etc.
  • Install barriers to prevent equipment from damaging piping and valves.
  • Ensure adequate supervision is in place when moving oversized equipment in haulage entries.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #20 for Coal Mining 2011

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On Monday, November 7, 2011, a 47 year old mine foreman, with approximately 26 years of mining experience, was killed when he was pinned between a battery-powered, rubber-tire personnel carrier and a coal rib. The personnel carrier had become stuck in reverse and the victim was positioned on his knees in front of the personnel carrier. When the operator placed the directional switch in forward, the personnel carrier traveled forward, striking the victim. A wooden crib block had fallen onto the control pedals and restricted their use.

Best Practices

  • Never transport supplies or extraneous materials in a vehicle or on top of equipment that is not appropriate for the task.
  • Never obstruct the vision of the equipment operator with the load.
  • Do not operate a vehicle with debris, loose material, or trash in the operator’s compartment.
  • Never position yourself in an area or location where equipment operators cannot readily see you.
  • Be aware of your location in relation to movement of equipment, especially in lower coal seams.
  • Train miners to use effective means of communication between themselves and equipment operators.
  • When operating mobile equipment, ensure that other workers are in a safe area before moving the equipment.v
  • Conduct Task Training for each type of personnel carrier or equipment being operated.
  • For more information on preventing these types of accidents:
    http://www.msha.gov/Safety_Targets/UGEquipCoal/EquipOpUGCoal.asp
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).

Fatality #12 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2011

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On October 31, 2011, a 42 year-old muck haul leadman with 3½ years of experience was killed in an underground platinum mine. The victim was operating a 4-yard loader in a drift when the loader struck the left rib. At that time, a spieling (rebar anchored in the rib for ground control) that was protruding from the rib, penetrated the front side window, entered the cab, and struck him.

Best Practices

  •  Operators of self-propelled mobile equipment shall maintain control of the equipment while it is in motion.
  • Maintain all roadways free of materials that may pose a hazard to equipment operators. This includes materials on the floor and protruding from the ribs, back, or walls.
  • Operating speeds shall be consistent with conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • 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.
  • Trim protruding spielings.
  • Keep mobile equipment operator’s stations free of materials that can impair the safe operation of the equipment.
  • When clearances on roadways are restricted, install warning devices in advance of the area and conspicuously mark it.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview (pdf).