On April 15, 2011, a 53 year- old miner with 26 years of experience was killed at an underground silver operation. He was wetting a muck pile in a stope when a fall of back, approximately 90 feet long, struck him.
Best Practices
- Design, install, and maintain a support system to control the ground in places where persons work or travel.
- Examine and test ground conditions in areas where work is to be performed prior to work commencing and as ground conditions warrant during the shift.
- When ground conditions create a hazard to persons, install additional ground support before other work is permitted in the affected area.
- Analyze extraction ratios and backfill methods and characteristics to improve stability.
- Be alert to any change of ground conditions.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report(pdf), Overview(powerpoint), Overview (pdf).