2002 Sand and Gravel Fatalities

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2002 Sand and Gravel Fatalities
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• January 21, 2002, a 51 year-old loader
  operator with 6 weeks mining experience was
  fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation.
  The victim and a coworker were in the process of
  draining the water from the log washer at the end
  of the shift. The victim climbed inside the
  machine to remove debris and was crushed by the
  paddles when a third employee inadvertently
  started the machine from the plant control
  consol.

• Power disconnect switches should be locked out
  and posted with signed tags by the individuals
  performing work prior to work commencing.
• Wherever possible, startup switches should have a
  time delay along with simultaneous audible and
  visual warnings to alert persons of impending
  hazardous motion.
• Companies should develop and implement procedures
  that address possible hazards for all maintenance
  tasks.
• .

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• January 24, 2002, a 62 year-old laborer with 20
  years mining experience was fatally injured at a
  crushed stone operation. The victim exited a
  building during a heavy rain and was crossing a
  plant roadway when he was apparently struck by
  the bucket edge of a front-end loader.

• When visibility is restricted by inclement
  weather, mobile equipment operators should turn
  on all exterior lights and keep the cab windows
  free of condensation or other obstructions that
  affect visibility.
• Signs or signals that warn of pedestrians should
  be installed where persons routinely cross plant
  roadways on foot.
• Operating speeds should be consistent with
  conditions of the roadway, visibility, and
  possible pedestrian traffic.
• Equipment operators should keep buckets, forks or
  booms close to the ground when traveling.

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• February 9, 2002, a 38 year-old equipment
  operator with four months mining experience was
  fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation.
  The victim had exited the cab of the bulldozer
  that he was operating and was run over by the
  machine.

• Equipment operators should disengage the
  transmission and set the park brake before
  leaving the cab.

5

• February 13, 2002, a 50-year-old contract
  carpenter with 11 years construction experience
  was fatally injured at a cement operation. The
  victim was a member of a crew building a new
  processing plant. A construction access elevator
  was mounted outside the corner support structure
  of the building and was positioned several floors
  above where the victim was working. The victim,
  who was secured by a safety belt and line, was
  standing at the outside edge of the structural
  steel taking measurements. The elevator was
  subsequently lowered and caught the victim
  between the conveyance and the structural steel.
  

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• Areas where health or safety hazards exist that
  are not immediately obvious to employees should
  be posted with signs warning of the nature of the
  hazard or barricaded to prohibit access.
• When machinery or equipment movement can injure
  persons, the machinery or equipment should be
  de-energized and locked out prior to entering the
  area.
• Where the movement of or equipment could cause
  injury, an audible alarm should be used to warn
  persons of impending movement.
• Procedures that evaluate possible hazards and
  assure prompt corrective action should be
  implemented prior to work beginning.

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• March 29, 2002, a 53 year-old truck driver
  with one year mining experience was fatally
  injured at a sand and gravel operation. The
  victim was struck by the bed of a haul truck when
  it lowered unexpectedly. He had been standing at
  the rear of the cab, reaching across the frame
  trying to free one of the hoist control cables.

• Persons should not work under a raised component
  of mobile equipment until the component has been
  blocked or mechanically secured to prevent
  accidental lowering.
• Mechanical blocking can be achieved by installing
  a hinged prop leg.
• Formal procedures that address possible hazards
  should be implemented for all maintenance tasks.
• Manufacturer's service guides should be obtained,
  referenced and followed.

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• May 16, 2002, a 43-year-old supervisor with
  25 years of experience at this mine, was fatally
  injured at a sand and gravel operation. The
  victim was using a dozer to level material at the
  end of a pipe that discharged waste sand into a
  water filled pit that had been dredged. Heavy
  rains had caused the water level in the pit to
  raise several feet above normal. A large section
  of the material sloughed and the dozer fell into
  the water-filled pit. The victim surfaced but was
  unable to swim to the shore.

• Evaluate the stability of any uncompacted ground
  prior to operating mobile equipment on it,
  especially after heavy rains.
• Require flotation devices be maintained in the
  operator's cab on mobile equipment working in the
  vicinity of water.

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• September 10, 2002, a 58 year-old contract
  drill operator with 15 years drilling experience
  was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation.
  The victim had positioned the truck-mounted
  chassis drill, set the jacks and raised the truck
  chassis off the ground. He was raising the drill
  mast into position when a previously damaged jack
  foot connection may have allowed the "ball end"
  to suddenly drop into the receiving socket. This
  caused the drill to become unstable, tip over and
  crush the operator inside the operator's cab.

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• Ensure pre-operational checks are conducted and
  identified needs for maintenance are properly
  addressed.
• Establish procedures that ensure jack components
  are locking in position properly and the unit is
  level before positioning mast.
• Use adequate cribbing to prevent the jacks from
  sinking into the ground.
• Know the limitations of your drill and follow the
  procedures in the operators manual.

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September 10, 2002, a 57 year-old equipment
operator with 25 years mining experience was
fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The
victim was approaching the stone load out when
apparently the rear brake line ruptured. The
truck left the road, traveled several hundred
feet and struck a tree. The victim, who was not
wearing the seat belt provided, was found on the
ground near the truck.
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• Ensure pre-operational checks are conducted and
  identified needs for maintenance are properly
  addressed.
• Establish procedures that require scheduled
  inspection and maintenance of mobile equipment.
• Ensure that service brakes will stop and hold
  equipment prior to operating mobile equipment.
• Enforce policies that require seat belts be worn
  by mobile equipment operators.

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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.

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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.

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October 14, 2002, a 25-year-old front-end loader
operator, with 3 months mining experience was
fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation.
The victim parked his loader near the toe of a 33
foot highwall and left the operator's cab when
material sloughed off the highwall and buried him.

• Train all employees in hazard recognition and
  ensure they follow all safety requirements.
• Ensure that loose ground and overhanging material
  is taken down or block all access to those areas.
  
• Adopt mining methods that will maintain wall,
  bank or slope stability in all work areas.

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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.

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October 21, 2002, a 48-year-old equipment
operator with 11 years mining experience was
fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation.
The victim was operating a front-end loader
feeding a power screen plant when he backed one
of the wheels over a drop-off. The loader, which
was not provided with a ROPS cab, rolled over,
crushing the victim.

• Establish procedures that restrict the use of
  front-end loaders manufactured prior to June 30,
  1969 to flat ground.
• Ensure that berms are provided on elevated edges
  of roadways where a drop-off exists.
• Ensure adequate pre-operational checks are
  conducted on all self- propelled mobile equipment
  and defects are promptly corrected.

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October 21, 2002, a 52-year-old truck driver with
24 years mining experience was fatally injured at
a sand and gravel operation. The victim was
hauling overburden and dumping it into an old,
water filled pit. The truck was backing toward
the dump berm when the ground sloughed off,
causing the truck to slide into the water.

• Ensure dumping locations are visually inspected
  prior to dumping the first load and as ground
  conditions warrant.
• Waste material with a high percentage of fines in
  a saturated condition can develop excess internal
  water pressure that reduces the stability of the
  pile.
• When signs of instability are present, ensure
  material is dumped a safe distance from the edge.

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December 9, 2002, a 47-year-old truck driver with
1 year10 months mining experience was fatally
injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim
was in the process of removing a 12 foot long
section of a walkway attached to a portable
inclined conveyor. As he was cutting a metal
attachment using an acetylene torch, the section
of walkway collapsed on him.

• Analyze maintenance tasks and identify possible
  hazards prior to the commencement of work.
• Establish job procedures to eliminate hazards and
  ensure personnel are trained to utilize the
  proper equipment and tools.
• Secure all equipment or machinery components to
  prevent movement.
• Ensure personnel are adequately trained and
  assisted as necessary when performing maintenance
  work.

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TEMPLATE!

• On June 6, 2000, a 43-year-old boiler maker
  with 20 years construction experience was fatally
  injured at a cement operation. The victim had
  stepped from the walkway onto a steel I-beam to
  help position a component being installed. He
  lost his balance and fell about 63 feet. The
  victim was wearing a harness attached to a
  lanyard, but he had not connected his lanyard to
  the wire rope static line that was provided.

• Persons should always tie off when working in
  elevated work areas.