On March 23, 2015, a 48-year old mine operator with 20 years of experience was killed at a dimension stone operation. The victim was operating a walk-behind masonry saw, positioned between the saw and a ledge, when he tripped and fell. The victim and the saw went over the 4½-foot ledge, resulting in the saw falling on him.
Best Practices
- Identify all hazards and use appropriate controls to protect miners prior to conducting any work.
- Ensure that operators are in a safe position and have control of their equipment at all times.
- Keep workplaces free of tripping hazards.
- Use barricades or railings at edges of drop-offs where persons are in danger of falling.
- Equip walk behind masonry saws with automatic shut off devices to stop the engine if the operator cannot maintain control of the equipment.
- Design bench top stone cutting patterns to ensure the saw operator is not positioned between the saw and the drop off edge.
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