Title: MSHA Fatalities Involving Drilling Operations
1MSHA Fatalities Involving Drilling Operations
2MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On February 17, 1995, a driller with six months
of mining experience was killed at a limestone
quarry. There were no witnesses to the accident.
The employee was operating a track drill. He was
found dead wrapped around the drill steel. It is
believed that the employee's clothing got caught
on the moving drill stem. - On February 14, 1996, a mechanic (contractor
employee)Â Â with 24 years of mining experience was
killed at a sand and gravel operation. The
employee was preparing to repair the hydraulic
hose on a hydraulic track drill when he was run
over by the drill. The drill operator was
tramming the drill backwards to an area where the
hose could be repaired. When the drill operator
turned the drill 90 degrees, he noticed the
mechanic under the crawler track. The victim died
from crushing injuries.
3MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On February 26, 1997, a driller (contractor
employee)Â with 8 years of mining experience was
killed at an iron ore pit. The employee was
drilling the surface above an abandoned
underground mine shaft when the ground caved in
under the drill head. The employee fell 20-feet
down a mine raise opened up by the drilling and
was buried under material at the bottom. - On April 1, 1997, a driller with nearly 10 years
of mining experience was killed at a limestone
mine. The employee was drilling blast holes using
an air-track drill in preparation of removing an
additional 25 feet of the floor from the existing
drift when a ground fall occurred from a pillar,
crushing him.
4MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On September 3, 1997, a contractor driller with 9
years of mining experience was killed at a
limestone quarry. The victim had been drilling a
blast hole about 4 feet from the edge of a
92-foot highwall. He was adding drill steel when
the hammer feed chain broke causing the victim to
fall over the edge. The victim was not wearing a
safety belt and line. - On February 3, 1997, a driller with 5 years of
mining experience was killed at a zinc operation.
The employee was operating a single boom jumbo
drill, drilling blast holes in a brow. The victim
was crushed when a massive roof fall occurred
which collapsed the canopy.
5MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On Monday, October 5, 1998, the operator of a
highwall drill, while at the operating controls,
was fatally injured when a large piece of rock
fell from the highwall onto the cab of his drill.
The rock fell 20 feet to a safety bench, split,
then fell an additional 55 feet onto the top of
the cab. The portion of rock that struck the
highwall drill completely destroyed the
operator's cab.
6MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On Thursday, January 7, 1999, a highwall drill
operator, while inside the operator's cab, was
fatally injured when a portion of the highwall
collapsed. Large pieces of sandstone fell from
the highwall causing severe damage to the drill
and the operator's compartment. The portion of
the highwall which collapsed measured
approximately 50 feet in height by 60 feet in
width.
7MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On January 27, 2000, a 49 year-old driller with
11-½ years mining experience was fatally injured
at a crushed stone operation. The victim had
positioned his truck mounted drill parallel to
the edge of the high wall in preparation for
drilling. The stabilizers were lowered and as the
drill mast was being raised, one of the
stabilizers sank into the ground causing the
drill to overturn. The drill fell over the
highwall edge, crushing the operator's cab.
8MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On 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.
9MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On 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.
10MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On September 10, 2002, a 58 year-old 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.
11MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On July 19, 2004, a 41 year-old contractor
driller trainee with 20 years mining experience
was fatally injured at a surface granite
operation. The victim fell from the top of a
highwall as he was re-threading a drill steel in
a vertical drill.
12MSHA FatalityINVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS
- On March 24, 2004, a 41-year-old, driller with 22
years mining experience was fatally injured at a
crushed stone mine. The victim was using a track
mounted drill to drill blast holes. Apparently,
he attempted to manually thread a new drill
steel, with the mast vertical and the drill head
rotating, when the rotating steel entangled him.
13MSHAs Best Practices
- Highwalls should be examined often, especially
during periods of changing weather conditions. - The ground control plan at every mine should be
followed - All miners should be trained to recognize
hazardous highwall conditions. - Drill operators should not drill from positions
that increase exposure to highwall hazards.