Sand and Gravel

Fatality #6 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On June 23, 2018, a 46-year old electrician with 10 weeks of experience was fatally injured while trying to stop runaway railcars.  The miner ran to the front of a set of moving railcars and jumped on in order to set the hand brake.  The miner then attempted to jump clear and was fatally injured when he was run over by the moving railcars.

Best Practices

  • Apply a mechanical hand brake to ensure a railcar does not move when it is stopped for loading, unloading, or storage.  Use wheel chocks or derail devices for added protection against accidental movement.
  • Never attempt to mount, crossover, cross under, or dismount a railcar while it is moving.
  • Train personnel in the safe procedures of working with railcars.  Establish safe work procedures and ensure all personnel involved communicate clearly with each other.

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

Fatality #5 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On June 13, 2018, a 65-year old truck driver with 4 years of experience was fatally injured when his truck traveled over a berm and into an impoundment of water.  Divers recovered the victim in 20 feet of water.

Best Practices

  • Maintain control and stay alert when operating mobile equipment.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment. Maintain equipment braking and steering systems in good repair and adjustment.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Ensure that berms are adequate for the vehicles present on site, including but not limited to height, material, and built on firm ground.
  • Consider storing personal flotation devices in equipment that is being operated near water.
  • Ensure that all exits from cabs on mobile equipment, including alternate and emergency exits, are maintained and operable.
  • Use seat belts when operating mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #3 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On April 12, 2018, a 60-year old customer truck driver was killed when he fell from, and was run over by, his truck while scanning into the operator’s check-in system.  The victim was found underneath the belly dump of the semi-trailer, and the truck was still in gear.

Best Practices

  • Implement check-in system technology that can be scanned remotely from inside the vehicle such as a RFID tag or indicator.
  • Commercial and customer truck drivers should remain in their trucks while on mine property, unless a safe area for tarping and checking their loads has been designated.
  • Operators should place their equipment in neutral and set the parking brakes before exiting the operator compartment.
  • Rules establishing safe operating procedures should be posted.
  • Ensure workers who operate heavy equipment are adequately informed, instructed, trained and supervised.

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

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On March 14, 2018, a 56-year old crusher maintenance employee with 15 years of mining experience sustained a fatal injury to his head while installing discharge chutes on the screen deck.  The suspended chute shifted striking him.

Best Practices

  • Stay clear of a suspended load.
  • Follow proper rigging procedures when lifting loads.
  • Establish safe work procedures and identify and remove hazards before beginning repair or maintenance tasks. Follow the equipment manufacturer’s procedures for the work being performed to ensure that all hazards have been addressed.
  • Use welded lifting eyes that are specifically intended for lifting and adequately rated for the loads being lifted.
  • Carefully inspect all rigging prior to each use.
  • Train persons to recognize and control all hazards associated with performing repair or maintenance tasks.
  • Persons should communicate during maintenance tasks with each other.
  • Position yourself only in areas where you will not be exposed to hazards resulting from a sudden release of energy.
  • Attach taglines to loads that may require steadying or guidance while suspended. Stand clear of items of massive weights having the potential of becoming off-balanced while being loaded or unloaded
  • Assign a sufficient number of persons to repair or maintenance tasks to ensure the tasks can be safely performed.
  • Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing repair or maintenance tasks.
  • Miners should wear fall protection when working at elevated heights.

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

Fatality #1 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2018

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On January 25, 2018, a 38-year old equipment operator with 4 years of mining experience was killed when his articulated haul truck travelled through a berm and into an ice covered pond, submerging the truck’s cab.  Rescuers utilized divers and tow trucks to pull the submerged truck from the pond and recover the victim.

Best Practices

  • Do not operate heavy equipment when fatigued. The effects of fatigue include tiredness, reduced energy, and physical or mental exhaustion. These conditions become progressively worse as fatigue increases.
  • Maintain control and stay alert when operating mobile equipment. Monitor persons routinely to determine safe work procedures are followed.
  • Conduct adequate pre-operational checks and correct any defects affecting safety in a timely manner prior to operating mobile equipment.  Maintain equipment braking and steering systems in good repair and adjustment.
  • Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, curves, and traffic.
  • Ensure that berms are adequate for the vehicles present on site, including but not limited to height, material, and built on firm ground.
  • Ensure that all exits from cabs on mobile equipment, including alternate and emergency exits, are maintained and operable.
  • Use seat belts when operating mobile equipment.

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

Fatality #8 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2017

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On September 5, 2017, a 20-year old plant operator with 23 weeks of experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel mine. The victim was performing maintenance on a belt conveyor when he became entangled in the tail pulley.

Best Practices

  • Establish policies and procedures for conducting specific tasks on belt conveyors.
  • Before beginning any work, ensure that persons assigned to work on belt conveyors are task trained and understand the hazards associated with the work to be performed.
  • Do not perform work on a belt conveyor until the power is off, locked, and tagged, and machinery components are blocked against motion.
  • Never clean pulleys or idlers manually while belt conveyors are operating.
  • Identify hazards around belt conveyor systems, design guarding, and securely install the guarding to ensure miners do not contact moving machine parts.

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

Fatality #3 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2017

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On March 24, 2017, the victim exited his personal flatbed truck, which was left running in 6th gear, to turn off the genset (diesel generator). Prior to ascending the steps to the diesel generator, it appears the flatbed truck moved forward and pinned him against the genset trailer. The victim was found on Monday, March 27, 2017, and pronounced dead at the scene.

Best Practices

  • Place the transmission in park and set the park brake before exiting vehicle.
  • Do not depend on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment in a stationary position.
  • Always chock the wheels when parking vehicles on a grade.
  • Never place yourself in front of an unsecured piece of mobile equipment

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

Fatality #2 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2017

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On March 14, 2017, an independent owner/operator truck driver, walked behind his raised end-dump trailer, while dumping his load and was engulfed by sand.

Best Practices

  • Conduct pre-operational checks to identify any defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment before it is placed into service.
  • Ensure workers who operate heavy equipment are adequately informed, instructed, trained and supervised.
  • Do not position yourself near a truck that is actively dumping, or near a truck while it is raising its bed.
  • Ensure that the tailgate is unlocked before elevating the cargo box to the dump position.
  • Do not attempt to dump the material if it sticks in the bed.  Stuck material can imbalance the load and affect the stability of the truck. Always deflate trailer air springs prior to raising the dump body.

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

Fatality #16 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

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On October 9, 2016, a 61 year old Equipment Operator, with 3 years of experience, was fatally injured at a sand surface mine. The victim was attempting to attach a screen plant to a front-end loader by hooking them together with a steel cable when the equipment moved pinning the victim. The victim was later discovered injured and leaning against the loader bucket. The victim died of his injuries the following day.

Best Practices

  • Never position yourself between mobile equipment and a stationary object. Always be aware of your location in relation to machine parts that have the ability to move.
  • Ensure that line of sight, background noise, or other conditions do not interfere with communication.
  • Ensure miners are adequately trained for the task they are performing.
  • Use a tow bar with adequate length and proper rating when towing heavy equipment.
  • Make yourself more visible by wearing brightly-colored clothing or clothing that is distinguishable from surroundings.
  • Operate all machinery in accordance with the manufacturer’s operating guidelines.

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), The investigation will not be posted.

Fatality #15 for Metal/Nonmetal Mining 2016

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On December 19, 2016, a 62-year old Front-end Loader Operator with 6 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel surface mine. The victim was engulfed by sand when entered a hopper to remove a blockage.

Best Practices

  • Task train persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
  • Train miners in safe work procedures and hazard recognition, specifically when clearing blocked hoppers.
  • Ensure employees use proper housekeeping procedures in order to avoid extraneous trash from inadvertently entering feed hoppers.
  • Establish and discuss policies and procedures for safely clearing hoppers.
  • Equip hoppers with mechanical devices, grates/grizzlies or other effective means of handling material so persons are not required to work where they are exposed to entrapment by sliding material.
  • Before working on or near equipment, ensure that the discharge operating controls are deenergized and locked out and ensure that material cannot discharge when the feeder is not activated.
  • Wear a safety harness and lanyard, which is securely anchored and tended by another person, prior to entering bins, hoppers, tanks, or silos.

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