On November 1, 2021, an electrician with 25 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a mine with 334 employees* while traveling down a mine slope. He lost control of a four-passenger rubber-tired personnel carrier, and the vehicle crashed at the bottom of the slope, pinning the victim underneath.
Best Practices:
- Immediately remove equipment from service when defects affecting safety are found.
- Conduct adequate preoperational checks and weekly examinations of mobile electrical equipment. Correct any defects affecting safety before operating mobile equipment.
- Maintain control and stay alert when operating mobile equipment.
- Maintain roadways free of excessive water, mud, and other conditions that impact an equipment operator’s ability to control mobile equipment.
- Operate mobile equipment at speeds consistent with the conditions of roadways, grades, clearance, and visibility.
- Never rely on Regenerative Braking as a substitute for keeping brakes properly maintained.
Additional Information:
This is the 31st fatality reported in 2021, and the 12th classified as “Powered Haulage” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).