On January 7, 2022, a 49 year-old front-end loader operator with 15 years of mining experience died when a large rock fell from the mine roof, crushing the cab of the front-end loader. When the accident occurred, the victim was loading material from a recently blasted shot.
Best Practices:
- Scale the back and ribs before performing work in an area.
- Conduct examinations of the back, face, and ribs where miners work and travel.
- Install suitable ground support where conditions warrant.
- Use geologic hazard mapping to identify adverse conditions and be aware of changing ground conditions.
- Train miners to identify workplace hazards and take action to correct them.
Additional Information:
This is the first fatality reported in 2022, and the first classified as “Fall of Roof or Back.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).