Machinery

MNM Fatality – 10/20/21

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On October 20, 2021, a 50-year-old mechanic with 12 years of experience was fatally injured at a mine with 10 employees* when he was struck by the bucket of an excavator while assisting in repositioning a hopper.

Best Practices: 

  • Never position yourself between mobile equipment and a stationary object.
  • Do not work in pinch points where inadvertent movement could cause injury.
  • Carefully inspect and secure the pins in an excavator’s bucket before each use.
  • Before beginning work, analyze all tasks, establish safe work procedures, train miners, and eliminate hazards.  Be alert for hazards that may be created while the work is performed.
  • Identify and apply methods to protect personnel from hazards associated with the work performed.
  • Monitor all employees to ensure safe work procedures, including safe work positioning, are followed.

Additional Information: 

This is the 30th fatality reported in 2021, and the 5th classified as “Machinery” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

Coal Fatality – 7/21/21

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On July 21, 2021, a 31 year old millwright with 13 years experience* received fatal injuries at a mine in Wright, WY with 899 employees* while adding a boom extension to a crane.  The miner was working under the boom to remove the boom pins when he was struck by the boom.

Best Practices: 

  • Never perform work under raised machinery or equipment until such machinery or equipment has been securely braced in position, blocked and  secured against motion.  Be alert for hazards that may be created while the work is being performed. 
  • Conduct repairs from a safe location per manufacturer’s recommendations.  Verify the release of all stored energy before initiating repairs.
  • Use a lifting device compatible with the load being lifted and ensure blocking material is competent, substantial, and adequate to support and stabilize the load.  Always use the manufacturer’s safety devices or features to secure components against motion, and secure assemblies that rotate to prevent movement.
  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures before starting any task.  Train miners in safe work procedures and hazard recognition.  Monitor personnel routinely to ensure safe work procedures are being followed.

Additional Information: 

This is the 19th fatality reported in 2021, and the fourth classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 5/18/21

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On May 18, 2021, a telehandler at an underground mine with 113 employees and 7 contract employees* was towing a trailer with a diesel pump onboard up an inclined underground roadway when the tow hitch suddenly broke. The trailer rolled down the roadway, striking and fatally injuring a 35 year old* contract laborer with 1 year experience*.

Best Practices: 

  • Use towing hardware (hitches, tow bars, receivers, couplers, pins, pintles, safety chains/cables, etc.) which is properly designed and rated. Before each use, examine towing hardware for wear, cracks and other damage. 
  • Never exceed the recommended maximum towing capacity of a tow vehicle or trailer. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and only use equipment designed for towing.
  • Always use properly sized safety chains in conjunction with hitches. Safety chains keep the trailer connected to the tow vehicle in case the other tow hardware fails.
  • Never position yourself directly behind equipment being towed uphill.
  • Establish procedures for safe and proper towing. Train miners to follow these procedures and identify hazards associated with towing.

Additional Information: 

This is the 12th fatality reported in 2021, and the third classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), final report (pdf).

MNM Fatality – 3/5/21

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On March 5, 2021, a 63 year old mine manager* was fatally injured when the excavator he was operating rolled over into a body of water at a sand and gravel mine with 5 employees in Mount Sterling, IL*.

Best Practices: 

  • Construct berms or install guardrails on roadways where a drop-off exists.  Ensure berms and guardrails are at least as high as the mid-axle height of the largest equipment using the roadway.
  • Examine and maintain roadways to prevent slope instability such as over steepened banks, sloughs, and cracking on the roadway and bank.
  • Install locked gates at the entrances of roadways that are infrequently traveled.  Post speed limit signs and install delineators at the edges of roads.
  • Always wear seatbelts when operating mobile equipment.
  • When working near water, wear flotation devices and ensure combination seat belt cutter/window breaker tools are installed in equipment.  See safety alert https://www.msha.gov/news-media/alerts-hazards/mnm-safety-alert-water-related-safety.
  • Train equipment operators in the safe performance of their tasks, potential hazards, and the use of alternative/emergency exits in cabs.  Examine these exits during pre-operational examinations.

Additional Information: 

This is the sixth fatality reported in 2021, and the second classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data.)

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

MNM Fatality – 1/16/21

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On Jan. 16, 2021, a miner (a 47 year old Driller/Blaster with 7y 32w experience*) was fatally injured (at a mine in Anchorage, AK with 251 employees*) while using a tool to remove a down-the-hole hammer. The drill motor turned unexpectedly, pinning the driller’s leg between the tool and the drill mast.

Best Practices: 

  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures before starting any task.
  • Identify and control all hazards. Train all workers to recognize potential hazards and understand safe job procedures to eliminate hazards before beginning work.
  • Follow manufacturer’s procedures for using equipment, and monitor employees for compliance.
  • Position yourself in a safe location away from potential “danger-zone” areas.
  • Train miners to safely perform their tasks.
  • Conduct equipment inspections and correct any defects affecting safety.

Additional Information: 

This is the first fatality reported in 2021, and the first classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

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

MNM Fatality – 12/15/20

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On December 15, 2020, a (contractor*) miner (age 58 with 22 years mining experience*) was fatally injured while changing the rear tire on a front-end loader (at a mine in Pikeville, KY with 9 employees*). The victim was underneath the front-end loader when it fell.

Best Practices: 

  • Securely block raised equipment to prevent movement.
  • Do not rely solely on hydraulic jacks.
  • Perform equipment maintenance requiring lifting or raising equipment on a level and solid ground.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for changing tires.
  • Establish safe operating procedures for all work.
  • Ensure all workers are trained in safe operating procedures.

Additional Information: 

This is the 29th fatality reported in 2020, and the ninth classified as “Machinery.” (*details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

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

MNM Fatality – 11/8/20

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On Nov. 8, 2020, (at a mine in Round Mountain NV with 864 employees*) a (58 year old*) bulldozer operator (with 41 years mining experience*) was killed when his bulldozer backed over the edge of a highwall (and came to rest over 300 feet downhill*).

Best Practices: 

•    Install and maintain lights to illuminate working places during the night and early morning hours.
•    Install berms, signs or devices to identify the edge of working benches and to allow equipment operators to maintain control of equipment.
•    Train equipment operators to identify dangerous conditions and to keep the dozer blade between the operator and the edge when near drop-offs.
•    Develop and enforce policies requiring safety belts when operating machinery.

Additional Information: 

This is the 24th fatality reported in 2020, and the eighth classified as “Machinery.” (* Italicized details added by safeminers.com from MSHA data)

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

MNM Fatality – 10/19/20

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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).

MNM Fatality – 8/21/20

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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: 

  • Install and use constant pressure electrical switches to deploy/retract automatic trailer tarps.
  • Inspect and maintain tarping systems routinely to ensure tarping systems function properly.
  • Install signs warning of the hazard of standing near trailers while automatic tarps are deployed/retracted.
  • Train miners on proper tarping techniques to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.

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).

Coal Fatality – 10/9/20

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On October 9, 2020, a contractor was changing the nozzle on a hydroseeder and accidentally engaged the hydroseeder’s clutch while the nozzle was pointing towards him.  The material sprayed from the nozzle struck him, causing him to fall backward and strike his neck on the hydroseeder handrail.

Best Practices: 

  • De-energize equipment while changing accessories until the equipment is ready to use and the operator is properly positioned.
  • Position yourself to avoid hazards resulting from a sudden release of energy.
  • Identify and apply methods to protect personnel from hazards associated with the work being performed. This includes all applicable personal protective equipment for identified hazards.
  • Establish and discuss safe work procedures before beginning work and ensure those procedures are followed.

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