The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 135 citations, 24 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 11 coal mines and two metal and nonmetal mines in December.
Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).
MSHA issued a bulldozer alert because of some accidents that recently occurred. A non-fatal accident occurred when a bulldozer over-turned on an embankment, rolling onto a bench below. Low temperatures and frozen ground created the condition, which lead to the accident. The alert makes a nice handout or toolbox talk for operators and non-operators alike.
The pdf of the alert is here.
We all should be concerned about knowing more about the chemicals used in the workplace, but just because we buy products for home use doesn’t alone mean they are any safer. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a very helpful Household Products Database online. You’ll even find many of the chemicals you may use at work that can be purchased at the local hardware or department store. Check it out here.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that federal inspectors issued 174 citations, 11 orders and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines in November. In October, MSHA conducted impact inspections at six coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines, where inspectors issued 120 citations and 10 orders. Impact inspections were curtailed during part of October due to the government shutdown.
Click here for: MSHA report with spreadsheet (pdf).
On December 10, 2013, a 27-year old deck hand with 4 years and 8 months of experience drowned at a dredge operation. He was working on a dredge that had a barge attached to it. The victim stepped on the barge and fell into the water.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf).
On December 13, 2013, a 53-year old utility worker with 19 years of experience was killed at a sand mine. The victim was standing near the edge of a bank when it collapsed engulfing him.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf).
On December 6, 2013, a 61-year old reagent handler with 39 years of experience was killed at an iron ore mine. The victim was working on top of a snow and ice covered railroad tanker car when he fell to a concrete floor approximately 12 feet below.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
On December 4, 2013, a 63-year old lead man with 16 years of experience was killed at a crushed stone mine. The victim initiated a blast and was struck by flyrock from the blast. He was standing 153 feet from the nearest blast hole and was struck by rock as large as 19 inches long by 14 inches wide by 7 inches thick.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).
On Saturday, November 23, 2013, a 32-year-old longwall shieldman with 5 years of mining experience was killed when he was struck by high pressure hydraulic fluid from a panline valve bank. The victim was advancing shields and the panline when a hydraulic hose extending from the panline to a shield was pinched between a shield pontoon and the mine floor. As the shields and panline advanced, a fitting on the hydraulic hose broke where it was attached to a panline valve bank.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).
On November 18, 2013, a 33-year old contract electrician foreman with 14 years of experience was injured at a crushed stone mine. The victim was working in a 480-volt electrical enclosure, pulling cable for a new pump that was being installed, when he contacted energized conductors. He was transported to a hospital where he died on November 22, 2013.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf).