On Friday, October 11, 2013, a 59-year-old shuttle car operator, with approximately 22 years of mining experience, was killed when a shuttle car struck him. The victim was in the crosscut between the No. 6 and No. 7 entries. This crosscut and adjoining entries were being used to gain access to rooms being mined on the right side of the section.
Best Practices
- Use proximity detection systems to protect personnel from accidents of this type. See the proximity detection single source page on the MSHA web site.
- Always ensure that visibility is not obstructed in the direction of travel and across the equipment being operated.
- Use transparent curtain for check and line curtains in the active face areas.
- Sound audible warnings when the equipment operator’s visibility is obstructed, such as when making turns, reversing direction, or approaching ventilation curtains.
- Come to a complete stop and sound an audible warning before proceeding through ventilation controls.
- Ensure the sound level of audible warnings is significantly higher than that of the ambient noise.
- Shine equipment lights in the direction of travel when operating haulage equipment.
- Never position yourself in an area or location where equipment operators cannot readily see you.
- Always communicate your position and intended movements to mobile equipment operators.
For more information related to struck-by equipment accidents, view the following link: MSHA – Safety Targets Programs – Hit By Underground Equipment at www.msha.gov
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).