On January 23, 2023, a utility management miner died, and another miner was seriously injured, while removing unused waterline pipe suspended from a mine roof. The two miners were using hand tools to remove a pipe fitting when the waterline pipe suddenly came apart, striking the victim.
Best Practices
Operators should:
- Release stored energy and pressure from pipes (block and bleed) before breaking a pipe connection.
- Lock out, tag out, and block equipment from movement before performing maintenance or repairs.
- Train miners in the safe performance of their tasks.
Additional Information
This is the third fatality reported in 2023, and the first classified as “Hand Tools.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).