Pit & Quarry, July 2009

W hen an obvious hazard is pointed out to a construction foreman a perceptible element of tension can be detected in the continuing verbal exchanges In the case of miners of good conscience it doesnt have to reach the level of hostility Tact and facts lead to constructive corrections Some years ago a well designed screening tower was under construction Substantial handrails guardrails and toe boards were installed as construction advanced Housekeeping was exceptional and there was no quarrel with work dress or PPE Any welding was screened from the other workers The construction foreman had every right to be proud of his crew and his job site The obvious hazard was a 5 ft x 9 ft opening in the deck When the opening was pointed out as a hazard the construction foreman was incredulous With just a touch of heat he drew energetic attention to the rails and toe boards around the perimeter of the deck People fall off the edges of floors and roofs dont they Part of the response was something like Look around at how this job is run I know how to take care of my guys What do you know Hip shot responses dont win The loss control rep gently suggested that the hole be covered and mentioned that more miners fall through openings in decks than fall off the edges of roofs or floors The skepticism on the face of the construction foreman was deeper than the carving on Mount Rushmore A report showing a review of fall of person injuries with the supporting facts was sent to the foreman right away Holes and edges From 2002 through October 2008 there have been 27 fatal falls reported by the Mine Safety Health Administration MSHA in metal and non metal mines Fourteen of the fatal falls involved either falls through holes or falls off the edges of roofs and floors Nine of the 14 fatals involved falls through roofs or decks Five of the 14 were falls from edges Seven years and 27 fatals is a small sample but an almost 2 1 ratio might be a solid enough indicator to remind foremen to have their miners look for deterioration or holes in decks and follow up for repairs Two of the through the floor fatalities occurred because of deteriorated walking surfaces In one case the fall itself wasnt the cause of death but rather the severe burns from the hot dust the miner fell into The other 13 As expected there were three fallof person fatalities from scaffolds or structures The predictable three were falls from boards over bins or in one case over a crusher The convenience of putting a board over a bin and neglecting fall protection lines and harness occurs often When a fatality occurs it is likely the crew or plant had done nearly the same thing several times and got away with it A 2 x 6 a 2 x 8 or even a 2 x 10 isnt good enough to be a work platform Two miners fell off high walls A problem partly solved is closing hatches or covering loads on trucks Four miners fell off trucks Oddly enough one miner had used the bridge installed to give safe access to the truck hatch but it malfunctioned and in his effort to restore it he fell to his death One miner Safety tip Tailgate meetings daily inspections and refresher training help to deliver the message climbed over a handrail and fell off a load of screens raised by a lift truck Recognition Prevention depends on recognition and anticipation Look a likes are most helpful Show miners photos of new decks mild rust and flaked rusted steel that is no longer up to standard Make a tailgate meeting a walk around Go under the usual walkways and look up rather than walk the deck and stare down Teach the miners and the folks who become inspectors how to see Mitigation Some quarries are served by rail When the switch engine is off the track it is fairly important On the other hand if one door on one railcar cant be closed it is troublesome but certainly not as serious as the derailed engine Inspection results are the same Discoloration on a deck is one thing A floor plate that looks like Swiss cheese at the base of a regularly used ladder is a hazard that has needed attention for a long time Tailgate meetings daily inspections and refresher training help to deliver the message Management support and follow up complete the corrections y Safety BY CARL METZGAR Recognition to mitigation Carl R Metzgar CSP has more than 30 years of safety and health experience in the aggregates industry He provides consulting services with a specialization in program evaluation training compliance and loss control and can be reached at 336 766 8264 cmetz46840@ aol com 32 PIT QUARRY July 2009 www pitandquarry com