Pit & Quarry, January 2013

by Michael T heenan Knowing causes prevents accidents I n 1977 the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act brought roughly 12000 metal and nonmetal mines under the same regulatory mandates as the 5500 coal mines The legislative history describes catastrophes in the first part of the 20th century and close to 4000 deaths in metal nonmetal mines over two decades preceding the new law Much has changed Fatal injuries are at record lows As of Nov 1 2012 there were 17 metal nonmetal fatalities last year As each company strives to improve it is important to recognize what causes deaths at metal nonmetal mines Here is a 2012 review First half of 2012 At a cement plant last January an employee with 48 years of experience backed a skid steer loader 150 ft into a drainage ditch and overturned in an underwater ground depression MSHA cited the mine operator because there were no barricades or warning signs posted to warn of a hazard that was not immediately obvious to employees In February a shale mine operator was operating an excavator near a vertical wall of loose material MSHA issued unwarrantable failure citations and orders for failure to examine and maintain ground stability Also that month a limestone mechanic was replacing a pulley when he fell through a handrail opening made to position the pulley A rope had been placed in the opening but it did not prevent the fall MSHA cited failure to use fall protection In March the owner of a gemstone mine was struck by a falling rock while cleaning ore with a shovel at the base of a wall MSHA cited failure to examine and correct wall conditions In April an equipment operator at a sand and gravel operation was struck by a 10 ton excavator counterweight while removing it to transport the excavator to another mine MSHA cited inadequate task training and failure to follow manufacturer instructions In an underground stone operation in May the operator of an articulated loader lost control going down a slope Investigation is still pending Also in May an excavator operated by a foreman at a sand and gravel operation overturned when the ground that the excavator was on failed and the excavator overturned in an adjacent pond MSHA cited lack of safe access because the excavator was on sandy and eroded soil A third May accident occurred at a cement plant where an employee was struck by a front end loader while walking between two buildings MSHA cited failure of the operator to maintain control of the loader while in motion In June a customer truck driver lost control while driving his truck from the pit to the scale at a crushed stone operation There were problems with brakes but MSHA cited a grade warning sign that MSHA said was not erected sufficiently in advance of the downgrade Second half of 2012 In July an equipment operator who was greasing the head pulley of a stacker conveyer at a stone operation was knocked off the conveyor when another employee started it The next month a cement plant employee fell into a cement silo when the roof collapsed Also in August a driller with 24 years of experience was preparing Assuming employees should know better is not a solution Employees need to be constantly reminded of hazards an area for a bench drill when he fell into an open stope In September a new contract laborer at a copper mine facility was assigned fire watch duties for welding being done on a higher floor He stepped on boards that only partially covered an open hole and fell 30 ft Another September case involved a foreman with 56 years of experience being run over by a dozer he was operating at a sand and gravel operation He had exited and was checking the throttle linkage when the dozer moved unexpectedly At a clay operation in October a contract painter with 35 years of experience was spraying coal tar inside a 50 ft wide x 40 ft high open tank The top of the tank was covered with cloth mesh The painter lost consciousness and did not recover Also in October a utility miner at an underground limestone mine with 19 years of experience operated a forklift that went out of control on a decline In November a contract driller at a shale mine was entangled when he attempted to thread a new drill steel manually while the drill head was rotating Investigation is still pending on all of the accidents that occurred dating back to July Takeaways Assuming employees should know Continued on page 47 42 PIT QUARRY January 2013 www pitandquarry com