On October 19, 2020, (at a Littleton, CO mine with 2 employees*) an excavator’s bucket struck a plant operator (58 years old with 8 weeks of experience*) who was standing on the cross beam of a grizzly hopper screen.
Best Practices:
• Never swing buckets over work areas or operator’s compartments.
• Maintain communication between equipment operators and miners on the ground.
• Maintain control of equipment while it is in operation.
• Train miners to safely perform their tasks.Additional Information:
This is the 22nd fatality reported in 2020, and the seventh classified as “Machinery.” (* Italicized details added by safeminers.com)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).