On Thursday, June 3, 2021, a 42-year-old section foreman with 16 years 40 weeks of experience* was fatally injured when he was hit by a shuttle car at an underground mine with 115 employees.* The victim was struck when he walked into the path of a loaded shuttle car that was traveling to the dump point.
Best Practices:
• Install proximity detection systems on mobile equipment to protect personnel and eliminate accidents of this type.
• Be aware of your location in relation to movement of equipment, especially in lower seams.
• Sound audible warnings, distinguishable from surrounding noise, and reduce speed when approaching and before traveling through check curtains. Wear reflective clothing or strobe lights to aid visibility when working around mobile equipment.
• Assure all personnel are clear of the traveling path and turning radius before moving equipment.
• Train miners and equipment operators to communicate their location and wait for acknowledgement before moving.Additional Information:
This is the fourteenth fatality reported in 2021, and the seventh fatality classified as “Powered Haulage.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).