NFPA Annual Fireworks Warning Has Extra Meaning This Year

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The National Fire Protection Association has its usual warnings and safety materials available here this year, but they are even more relevant this year. The public display in my town and many others are canceled which may motivate even more people to create their own. The usual gang of fools in the emergency room each year is bad enough, but with extra precautions and in some case extra burdens on emergency and healthcare professionals just isn’t needed.

Find a great video and printable materials here.

MNM Fatality – 6/1/20

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On June 1, 2020, a contract truck driver died after falling from the top of his trailer.  The victim received first aid/CPR at the scene and passed away after being transported to a local hospital.

Best Practices: 

  • Discuss work procedures; identify all potential hazards to do the job safely.
  • Train everyone to recognize fall hazards and ensure that safe work procedures are discussed and established.
  • Include safe truck tarping requirements in site-specific hazard training.
  • Provide truck tarping safe access facilities where needed.
  • Provide an effective fall arrest secure anchorage system. Ensure that people wear and attach fall protection connecting devices where there is a danger of falling.
  • Use automatic tarp deploying systems to prevent people from working from heights.

Additional Information: 

This is the 8th fatality reported in 2020, and the third classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.”

Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

Now We Can Chat!

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SafeMiners.com now provides a live chat feature! Click on the lower right of your screen and say hi! I will keep some regular hours but you can also catch me by chance. If it says I’m online I can answer. If it says I’m offline you can still click on it and send me a message. I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m finished mowing the lawn or whatever else is keeping me from being available. The new Office Hours page will show you when I expect to be around along with other training and event dates and links.

MSHA Training both from Complete Safety Solutions and Eduwhere will also appear on the calendar with links to more information and registration.

May Fatality Updates

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Final Reports posted:

Fatalities awaiting Fatality Alert to be posted:

  • 6/1/20 MNM #8 Desert Aggregates, Goodyear, AZ – Slip or Fall of Person

Fatalities awaiting Final Report to be posted:

June is National Safety Month

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National Safety Council also unveiled their new logo.

Now, more than ever, safety is crucial both inside and outside the workplace, which is why the National Safety Council will still be recognizing National Safety Month® in June. Observed annually by NSC, the nation’s leading nonprofit safety advocate, National Safety Month focuses on saving lives and preventing injuries, from the workplace to anyplace. – National Safety Council.

Check out free materials for non-members or join and get more here.

Or take the pledge to do your part here.

MSHA Initiative: Seat Belts

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source: MSHA

One of the easiest things an equipment operator can do to stay safe is to fasten his or her seat belt. Wearing a seat belt protects against injury in the event of a serious accident. It can also help the operator maintain control during sudden extreme movement. Nevertheless, we continue to see serious injuries and fatalities resulting from lack of seat belt usage. MSHA engineers estimate that 3-4 miners’ lives could be saved each year if seat belts were used universally. MSHA regulations require the use of seat belts in most equipment and circumstances. Seat belt design is evolving in terms of operator comfort and responsiveness. For example, some will tighten when equipment reaches a critical tilt point. There are also a growing number of tools available to ensure that seat belts are used by operators and visible to supervisors. These range from standard reminder chimes to cab-top lights that change color when the seat belt is buckled. What’s important is that functioning seat belts are made available and are used by all equipment operators at all times. – MSHA

Resource: White Paper on Seat Belt Use on Mobile Equipment

Going Back to Work???

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OSHA has been working on ways before the pandemic to get the Whistleblower Protection Program out to workers who don’t understand they have this important freedom. It’s even more critical now. Click on the image above for more or click HERE to see the MSHA version. Note that protecting one another’s health is the same as protection from other hazards.

There’s also good information on the Department of Labor site explaining what to do in just about any workplace to protect all involved from Corona virus here.

MNM Fatality – 5/2/20

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On May 2, 2020, a miner entered a dredged sand and gravel bin through a lower access hatch to clear an obstruction. The miner was clearing the blockage with a bar when the material inside the bin fell and engulfed him.

Best Practices: 

  1. Lock-out, tag-out. Never enter a bin until the supply and discharge equipment is locked out.
  2. Train miners to recognize and safely remove all potential hazards before beginning work and when clearing blocked hoppers.
  3. Equip bins with mechanical devices such as vibrating shakers or air cannons to loosen blockages, or provide other effective means of handling material so miners are not exposed to entrapment hazards by falling or sliding material.
  4. Follow manufacturer recommendations for clearing out blockages.
  5. Establish and discuss policies and procedures for safely clearing bins.
  6. Install a heavy screen (grizzly) to control the size of the material and prevent clogging.

Additional Information: 

This is the 7th fatality reported in 2020, and the second classified as “Handling Material.”

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).

Recent Fatality Updates

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Final Report added to 1/8/20 / MNM – Slip or Fall of Person (updated 3/23/20)

Final Report added to 7/30/19 / MNM – Powered Haulage (updated 3/30/20)

Final Report added to 7/15/19 / MNM – Slip or Fall of Person (updated 3/31/20)

Final Report added to 1/23/20 / MNM – Slip or Fall of Person (updated 4/20/20)

Final Report added to 12/23/19 / Coal – Machinery (updated 4/24/20)

Final Report added to 2/29/20 / MNM – Handling Materials (updated 4/30/20)

Fatalities awaiting Fatality Alert to be posted:

  • 5/2/20 MNM #5 Enon Sand &Gravel, Clark, Ohio – Handling Material

Fatalities awaiting Final Report to be posted: