On May 26, 2010, a 28 year-old contract miner with 10 weeks of mining experience was fatally injured at an underground uranium mine. The victim was scaling a rib when he was struck by falling material approximately 11 feet high, 15 feet wide and 4 inches to 30 inches thick.
Best Practices
- Always examine, sound and test for loose ground in areas before starting to work, after blasting, and as ground conditions warrant.
- Train all persons to scale loose material safely.
- Always perform manual scaling from a safe location.
- When manually scaling, use scaling bars of a length and design that allow the removal of loose material without exposing the persons performing the work.
- Install ground support in ribs where conditions warrant.
Click here for: MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (powerpoint), Overview (pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)