2002 Metal/Non-Metal Fatalities

January 21, 2002, a 23 year-old utility person with 5 years mining experience was fatally injured at a surface cement operation. The victim was fatally injured when he climbed into a silo to unplug a blockage and was engulfed by material. A safety harness attached to a lifeline should always be used when persons enter silos, hoppers or surge piles. A second person should constantly adjust the lifeline to eliminate slack. Safe access should be provided and maintained to all working places. Silos should be equipped with mechanical devices or other effective means of handling material so persons are not required to work where they are exposed to entrapment by sliding material.

February 1, 2002, a 38 year-old ledge foreman with 10 years mining experience, died of injuries he received on January 14, 2002, when he fell 28 feet at a dimension stone quarry. The victim was positioned between a grout bucket and a ladder near the edge of the ledge. When a large rock was loaded into the bucket, it tipped and knocked the victim off the ledge. A safety harness and a life line should be worn when persons work where there is a risk of injury from a fall. Safe access should be provided and maintained to and from all work areas. Railings or cables should be installed when persons are required to work or travel near the edge of a ledge. Safe work procedures should be established prior to commencing tasks.

February 13, 2002, a 53-year-old electrician with five years mining experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim and several coworkers were changing a generator on a power shovel. In preparation for lifting the generator, a hoist that was mounted overhead on an I-beam was being trammed into position when it ran off the end of the I-beam, fell and struck the victim who was performing work below.

Mechanical stops should be installed to prevent over travel of rail mounted hoists. Procedures that evaluate possible hazards and assure prompt corrective action should be implemented prior to work beginning. Mechanical equipment should be inspected prior to use and all defects should be promptly corrected.

April 22, 2002, a 22 year-old drill operator with one year mining experience was fatally injured at a dimension stone quarry. The victim was drilling in the quarry when his clothing became entangled in the rotating drill steel.

Equipment operators should stop drill rotation when performing tasks near the rotating steel. Loose fitting clothing should not be worn when working around drilling machinery.

June 1, 2002, a 32 year-old conveyor attendant with 5 years mining experience was fatally injured at an open pit copper operation. The victim became entangled in a tripper conveyor pulley.
Always lock out or block moving machinery against motion before working nearby unless all pulleys and pinch points are guarded or located where persons can not contact them. Ensure that accessible pinch points on conveyor pulleys are guarded from contact. Establish and enforce policies that prohibit work or travel near unguarded machinery components.

June 3, 2002, a 41 year-old maintenance mechanic with 11 years mining experience was fatally injured at a cement operation. The victim and coworkers had cleared a plugged chute and then jogged the kiln feed bucket elevator to make sure it was free. The elevator drive assembly failed and the victim was struck by metal fragments. Locate operating controls for pumps, motors and rotating components away from potential trajectory paths. Test all safety systems, including reverse movement protection features, on a regular basis. Establish a schedule for rebuilding or replacement of equipment.

June 12, 2002, a 35-year-old maintenance worker with 7 years mining experience was fatally injured at an alumina operation. The victim was drilling out scale that had accumulated inside heater tank pipes. The drill motor, detached from the gear box, fell from the drill mast and struck the victim.

Establish procedures that require scheduled inspections and maintenance of equipment. Ensure adequate pre-operational checks are conducted and identified needs for maintenance are properly addressed. Ensure component fasteners meet or exceed manufacturer's specifications and are adequately tightened.

Provide backup secure methods for components subjected to constant vibration.

August 6, 2002, a 47-year-old contract switchman with 25 years of experience, was fatally injured at a trona mine. The accident occurred at night. The victim, switching cars at a surface load out area, was caught between a 15-car train he was riding and a stationary car as the train moved. Provide illumination sufficient to recognize hazards in all work areas. Identify possible hazards and safe work procedures before moving rail cars. Provide communications between personnel assigned to move rail cars. Maintain continuous clearance of at least 30 inches from the farthest projection of moving railroad equipment on at least one side of the tracks.

August 17, 2002, a 31-year-old contract miner with 4 years of experience was fatally injured in a tunnel construction project at an open pit copper mine. A transformer switch, mounted on a rail car, was being moved forward as construction advanced. The victim was electrocuted when he contacted a 480 volt cable and a junction box to move them from rubbing the rail car. The cable and junction box were part of the lighting system located along the side of the tunnel.

Protect circuits against excessive overloads by fuses or breakers of the correct type and capacity. Ensure that all metal enclosing or encasing electrical circuits is grounded or provided with equivalent protection. Provide equipment grounding conductors, with a sufficiently low impedance to limit the voltage to ground, for metal enclosures.

September 16, 2002, a 42 year-old welder with 2 years mining experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim was lying on a wet, metal screen deck welding a wear plate in a confined area when he apparently touched the energized welding rod to his chest and received an electrical shock.

Establish procedures that require welders to cover metal with approved insulated mats or dry wood when lying to weld in confined areas. Ensure that maintenance activities are planned and possible hazards are eliminated. Provide the proper supplies and equipment to complete all tasks.

September 23, 2002, a 30 year-old contract employee with 18 months experience was fatally injured at a cement plant. The victim apparently climbed out of the elevated man lift platform to gain access to a work location on the metal roof when he lost his footing and fell 46 feet to the ground.

Train all employees, including contractors, in hazard recognition and ensure they follow all safety requirements.
Establish secure anchor locations and require harnesses attached to secure lines be utilized by persons at elevated locations.

Maintain continuous fall protection when working at elevated locations.

October 12, 2002, a 52-year-old co-owner of a sand and gravel operation was fatally injured. The victim accompanied her husband to the mine to assist in setting up a new weighing facility while he used a front-end loader to fill in dirt around the newly installed truck scales. Apparently the victim inadvertently walked into the path of the loader as it was backing.

Establish procedures that prohibit entering the work area of mobile equipment unless the operator is aware of your presence.
Ensure that you make eye contact with mobile equipment operators before approaching their work areas.

October 17, 2002, a 45-year-old front-end loader operator, with 11 years mining experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation. The victim and a coworker were positioned on a conveyor attaching lifting chains suspended from the bucket of a track mounted back hoe. The victim was caught between the back hoe bucket and the conveyor frame when the boom and bucket moved unexpectedly.

Identify possible hazards and take necessary action to ensure safe operation prior to beginning repair or maintenance tasks.
Block all equipment or machinery components to prevent possible movement. Establish procedures that require mobile man lifts be used where safe access is not provided.

October 24, 2002, a 27-year-old fuel handler with 2 years 7 months mining experience was fatally injured at a cement operation. The victim was attempting to bleed air from the liquid waste-fuel system when the in-line grinder ruptured. The escaping waste fuel ignited, engulfing the victim in flames.

Ensure process safety management principles are used to identify possible hazards related to waste fuel handling. Establish safe work procedures and train employees for each task, including a general knowledge of the system and its hazards. Ensure all safety system monitoring and shutdowns are installed correctly, are operational and are tested periodically. Ensure appropriate personal protective equipment, including fire retardant clothing is worn by all persons entering or working in areas where hazardous/flammable material spills or releases are possible. Locate pump start/stop switches remotely and require pumps be shut down prior to bleeding off pressurized waste fuel systems.

Ensure in-line pressure relief devices are installed on all pressurized waste fuel systems.
Install flow sensing devices which automatically shut down the pump if flow stops for any critical period of time.

October 17, 2002, a 49-year-old mine rescue team trainer with 26 years mining experience and a 38-year-old co-trainer with 2 years mining experience were fatally injured, at an abandoned underground gold mine. Both were participating under oxygen in an exercise to evaluate conditions in this mine. As the team was walking up the steep decline to return to the surface, the victims experienced breathing difficulties and collapsed. The first victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was transported to a medical facility where he succumbed to his injuries on October 23, 2002.

Ensure all self contained breathing apparatus are properly checked and equipped as to manufacturers recommendations prior to their use.
During non emergency exercises, ensure that underground mine areas that rescue teams plan to enter are ventilated and free of serious hazards. Maintain continuous communications with the surface whenever mine rescue personnel encounter toxic gases, explosive gases or any conditions that pose serious danger.