On Monday, July 11, 2011 a 26-year-old supply motor operator, with 6 years 1 month of mining experience, was killed while transporting materials using a diesel powered 15-ton locomotive. When the locomotive approached a low, steel, over-cast beam, the victim placed his head outside of the operator’s compartment and was struck by the steel beam and the locomotive’s canopy.
Best Practices
- Keep all body parts within the operator’s compartment while the equipment is in motion.
- Ensure that all track mounted equipment has adequate clearance throughout mine.
- Always look in the direction of equipment movement and exercise caution in low clearance work areas.
- Conduct proper workplace and travelway examinations to identify and mitigate the hazards presented by low clearances.
- Install warning signs that tell operators to reduce speed in low clearance areas.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).