Each year on Dec. 6, we celebrate National Miners Day to recognize and applaud the skill, dedication and hard work miners put into providing many of the products essential to fulfilling America’s most vital needs. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to every working miner in our nation. – David Zatezalo, MSHA – Continue reading here…
On Oct. 27, 2020, a miner (age 37 with 1 year 40 weeks experience*) was digging a hole (in an underground mine in Williamstown, PA with 8 employees*) to install a wooden post for roof control when a section of the roof fell on him.
Best Practices:
Additional Information:
This is the 23rd fatality reported in 2020, and the first classified as “Fall of Roof or Back.” (* Italicized details added by safeminers.com)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On October 19, 2020, (at a Littleton, CO mine with 2 employees*) an excavator’s bucket struck a plant operator (58 years old with 8 weeks of experience*) who was standing on the cross beam of a grizzly hopper screen.
Best Practices:
• Never swing buckets over work areas or operator’s compartments.
• Maintain communication between equipment operators and miners on the ground.
• Maintain control of equipment while it is in operation.
• Train miners to safely perform their tasks.Additional Information:
This is the 22nd fatality reported in 2020, and the seventh classified as “Machinery.” (* Italicized details added by safeminers.com)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On August 21, 2020, a (customer*) truck driver (at a Gilmore City, IA mine with 32 employees*) sustained fatal head injuries while he was deploying the automatic tarp on his fifth-wheel side-dump trailer.
Best Practices:
Additional Information:
This is the sixth fatality classified as “Machinery” in 2020. (Fatal Alert posted by MSHA 11/30/20.* Italicized details added by safeminers.com)
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
Stepping into OSHA-land for a moment, a news release several days ago stated “U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $2,851,533 in Coronavirus Violations.” Whether your job is in an OSHA or MSHA jurisdiction, OSHA provides some helpful enforcement and safety publications. Here are links to:
Common COVID-19 Citations (pdf)
I’ve added a new dashboard to the Resource Page to help trainers classify and analyze fatalities. Starting with 2020 all mining fatalities are listed here along with basic information on what was mined, the victim’s job, age, and experience, and whether the victim worked for a contractor or not. The date on the chart links to the fatality while the rest will show you all fatalities that are classified like what you clicked on.
Check it out here.
Because of the pandemic there are many efforts to use heaters to allow people to be in outdoor areas for dining and other social activities longer into the colder season. In response the National Fire Protection Association has issued an informative two page fact sheet that includes helpful safety information if you use propane heaters on the job or anywhere.
