On August 9, 2016, a 33 year old Leadman Contractor, with 4 years of experience, was killed at a cement plant loadout. The victim was attempting to replace the lift cable pulleys on the barge loadout chute, when the anchor point for the temporary rigging separated from the loadout chute and it unexpectedly fell. The falling loadout chute caused the lift cables to tighten and the lift cables pinned the victim to the loadout chute causing fatal 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. Consult and follow the manufacturer’s recommended safe work procedures for the maintenance task.
- Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
- Examine work areas during the shift for hazards that may be created as a result of the work being performed. Monitor persons routinely to determine safe work procedures are followed.
- Conduct a complete pre-operational inspection of equipment that includes checking winches and cables.
- Position yourself in areas where you will not be exposed to hazards resulting from a sudden release of energy. Be aware of your location in relation to machine parts that can move.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).
On Friday, September 23, 2016, a 46-year-old miner was fatally injured in a vehicle accident that occurred along a portion of a mine’s access/haul road. The victim (passenger) and a coworker (driver) were traveling down an inclined portion of the road when the driver apparently lost control of the pickup truck, causing it to strike the road berm and roll over in the roadway.
On Friday, July 29, 2016, a 58-year-old miner with 40 years of mining experience sustained fatal injuries when an ignition occurred in the shaft he and another miner were working above. Two miners were welding threaded blocks to secure guarding around the drive-shaft between a motor and dewatering pump. Methane ignited within the shaft, and the victim was in the direct line of the ignition force. On August 4, 2016, the victim died from the injuries received during the accident.
On Monday, May 16, 2016, a 50-year-old motorman, with over 14 years of mining experience, was fatally injured when the diesel locomotive he was operating crashed through a closed airlock door. The diesel locomotive was pulling six drop deck cars and had stopped to allow another motorman operating a trailing locomotive to separate the cars to provide the clearance needed to pass through the airlock. As the other motorman was preparing to couple his locomotive to the cars, the train unexpectedly moved forward and continued away from him towards the slope bottom where it crashed through the closed outby airlock door.
One of the great benefits of attending TRAM is that MSHA distributes DVD’s with all presentations on them. The bad thing is these take some time to prepare, create, and mail. People in my presentation expressed an interest in having some of the material available ASAP, so here it is. It’s common for TRAM to provide the type of energy that make you want to start putting the ideas to work as soon as you get home.
On July 25, 2016, a 59 year old Excavator Operator, with 17 years of experience, was killed at a limestone quarry. Prior to the accident, the victim was loading shot rock into haul trucks. While waiting for the haul trucks to return, the victim was separating out over sized rocks when the cab of his excavator was struck by falling material from the highwall.
On June 27, 2016, a 61-year old Mine Superintendent, with 24 years of experience, was killed at a limestone quarry. The victim was building a ramp to the lower bench, was positioning his haul truck to dump a load of material near the edge of a highwall, and rolled backwards over the 90 foot highwall.
On June 3, 2016, a 24-year old haul truck operator, with 9 months of experience, and a 56-year old hydraulic excavator operator, with 6 years of experience, were killed at a sand and gravel operation. The two miners were working in a pit next to an abandoned roadway embankment, which partially bound an old pit. Waste clay and sand had been placed in the old pit for reclamation purposes. The embankment failed and the tailings and slurry engulfed both miners.