MSHA Web Maintenance

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Just a heads up that while MSHA was unaffected by the recent government shutdown the links to MSHA may not work for several days because of a scheduled maintenance by the Department of Labor. Instead you’ll get this message:

Scheduled Maintenance

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is conducting scheduled system maintenance beginning Friday, February 15 at 5:00 p.m. ET through Tuesday, February 19 at 8:00 a.m. ET. Most DOL websites and web systems will be affected and unavailable to the public.

The National Contact Center remains open 24 hours a day to contact: 

  • Job Corps — 1-800-733-5627
  • Mine Safety and Health Administration — 1-800-746-1553
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) — 1-800-321-6742

Fatality #12 for Coal 2018

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c1812-fatalOn Thursday, November 29, 2018, a mechanic with 29 years of mining experience was severely injured when hydraulic pressure propelled a piece of metal out of a hydraulic fitting that he was examining, and the metal penetrated his head.  The miner died on December 30, 2018, as a result of his injuries.
Best Practices: 

  • Train miners to recognize hazards in pressurized systems before troubleshooting or performing work on such systems.
  • Consult and follow the manufacturer’s recommended safe work procedures.
  • Position yourself in a safe location, away from any potential sources of failure, while troubleshooting or testing pressurized systems.  When possible, examine and inspect hydraulic components while they are de-pressurized.
  • Remove pressure from the hydraulic system before beginning modifications or repairs.
  • Make modifications or repairs with proper components and parts that are adequately rated and specifically designed for such purposes.

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

Fatality #11 for Coal 2018

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c1811-fatal.jpgOn December 29, 2018, a 25-year old dredge operator, with 21 weeks of experience, was fatally injured at a coal mine. The victim drowned when the dredge he was operating sank.
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.
  • Examine work areas and equipment during the shift for hazards that may be created as a result of the work being performed.
  • Conduct a risk analysis before starting non-routine tasks to ensure that all hazards are evaluated and eliminated.
  • Establish procedures requiring persons to alert coworkers when they are in danger.

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

Fatality #10 for Coal 2018

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c1810-fatalOn Thursday, December 20, 2018, a mobile bridge carrier (MBC) operator, with 5 years and 21 weeks of mining experience, was fatally injured while operating his detached, remote-controlled machine during the mining process.  As the continuous haulage system pulled forward in preparation of mining, he was crushed between the coal rib and the No. 2 mobile bridge conveyor that was between both mobile bridge carriers.
Best Practices: 

  • Maintain communications between equipment operators of a continuous haulage system prior to starting or tramming any component of the system.
  • Institute and maintain a high level of equipment-specific training for all operators, which includes proper operator positioning during machine operation and also protocols for certain scenarios.
  • Do not position yourself in pinch-point areas while remotely operating equipment.  Ensure that equipment operators remain in the confines of the equipment cab, if equipped, while the machine is running.
  • Always perform thorough pre-operational examinations on mobile equipment to identify any defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment before it is placed into service.
  • Be familiar with the de-energizing switches on your machine and remote-control unit. “Panic-out” at the first sign of a hazardous situation.

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

Fatality #9 for Coal 2018

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On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, a 38-year-old miner was fatally injured at a surface coal mine.  The miner was operating a front-end loader to move shot rock near the toe of a 63-foot-high highwall.  A large portion of the highwall collapsed onto the front-end loader, crushing the operator cab and fatally injuring the miner.
Best Practices: 

  • Safely examine highwalls from as many perspectives as possible (bottom, sides, and top/crest).  Look for signs of cracking and other geologic features that could lead to instability and secure or remove hazardous conditions.  Conduct additional examinations as ground conditions warrant, especially during periods of changing weather conditions.
  • Follow the approved ground control plan at all times to ensure the safe control of highwalls.
  • Use mining methods that ensure highwall stability and safe working conditions and do not excavate the base of the highwall.
  • Train all miners to recognize hazardous highwall conditions.
  • Operate mobile equipment perpendicular to the highwall or with the operator’s cab positioned away from the highwall.  Ensure that miners work, travel, and operate mining equipment at safe distances from the highwall.
  • Use proper blasting techniques for forming highwalls and thoroughly examine the highwall after each blasting operation.

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

Happy 2019

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Seems like I just got used to writing 2018 and I have to change again. For those of you who get course announcements please forgive any 2018’s that show up on dates and assume I’m not training in the past and it should be the current year! Course announcements come out more or less monthly and if you can attend a class in SE Pennsylvania and want to get notices email me. You can also see the current schedule and sign up for classes here.

Every new year brings challenges more difficult than getting the number right. Safety is a never ending challenge. Mining has been getting increasingly safer, but the fewer workers who are hurt or killed the harder it is to improve that number. Assistant Secretary of MSHA Zatezalo made this point well at the Mine Safety Academy in October when he said we are close to our goal, but just as in football the game changes when you’re a few yards from the end zone. We have to change our game too if we’re going to improve from here on. How are you going to change your game this year?

Fatality #16 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On November 11, 2018, a 45-year old Underground Technician with 4 years of experience was killed when the Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) machine he had been operating underground ran over him.

Best Practices

  • Ensure that all braking systems installed on mobile equipment function properly when the engine is operating and when it is shut off.  Do not depend on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment in a stationary position
  • Block LHDs against motion by setting the parking brake. Turn the tires toward the rib and lower the bucket onto the floor.  Use wheel chocks when parking mobile equipment.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational examinations on all self-propelled mobile equipment and promptly correct any defects affecting safety.
  • Before beginning a task, miners should discuss the work procedures, identify all possible hazards, and ensure steps are taken to safely perform the task.

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

Fatality #15 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On November 3, 2018, a 44-year old shift supervisor with 3 years of experience was killed when a loaded Caterpillar 785B haul truck ran over her pickup truck at the crusher site.

Best Practices

  • Communicate and verify with all equipment operators your planned movements and location upon entering a work area.
  • Ensure all persons are trained to recognize workplace hazards. Specifically, train equipment operators on the limited visibility and blind spot areas that are inherent to the operation of large equipment. Do not drive or park smaller vehicles in mobile equipment’s potential path of movement.
  • Instruct all operators on the importance of using flags or strobe lights on the cabs of their vehicles to make haulage truck operators aware of their location.
  • Install and maintain collision avoidance/warning technologies on mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #14 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On October 25, 2018, a 42-year old miner with 13 years of experience was killed when the back fell while he was loading explosives in the face.  The back was comprised of cemented backfill and weighed approximately 150 tons.

Best Practices

  • Implement a robust quality control program to ensure cemented rock fill is mixed and placed properly, especially when it constitutes the main method of ground support.
  • Examine and test ground conditions in areas where work is to be performed prior to work commencing and as warranted during the shift.  Be alert for changing conditions, especially after activities that could cause back/roof disturbance.
  • When ground conditions create a hazard to persons, install additional ground support before other work is permitted in the affected area.
  • Task train all persons to recognize all potentially hazardous conditions and ensure they understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards.

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