UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT
SURFACE NONMETAL MINE
FATAL POWERED HAULAGE ACCIDENT

Taggart Portable Crusher No. 1 (mine)
Mine ID No. 35-03287
R.J. Taggart Construction Company, Incorporated
Prineville, Crook County, Oregon

January 11, 1996

By

Edward E. Lopez
Mine Safety and Health Inspector

James Zingler
Mine Safety and Health Inspector

Western District Office
Mine Safety and Health Administration
3333 Vaca Valley Parkway, Suite 600
Vacaville, California 95688
Fred M. Hansen
District Manager

GENERAL INFORMATION

Dennis Kay Rose, a crawler tractor operator, age 47, was fatally injured on January 11, 1996 while being trained to operate a front-end loader. Rose had five months of mining experience, all at this mine. He had been training on the loader for approximately eight hours.

Garry Day, MSHA Western District Assistant Manager, was notified of the accident, on January 11, by Richard L. Fisher, accounting manager for R.J. Taggart Construction Company. An investigation began the following day.

The accident occurred at Taggart Portable Crusher No. 1, owned and operated by R.J. Taggart Construction Company, Incorporated. The mine was a multiple bench crushed stone operation located one mile south of Prineville, Crook County, Oregon. The mine operated one 10-hour shift, four days a week. A total of five employees worked at the minesite.

The principal operating officials were;

Robert J. Taggart, owner
Donald (Dick) Newsom, superintendent.

The last MSHA inspection was completed on July 7, 1995.

PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED

The diesel powered, articulated front-end loader involved in the accident was a Caterpillar 980-B, serial number 89P2466. It was equipped with a roll over protective structure and a partially enclosed operator's compartment, the left door had been removed. A small deck, measuring about one foot in width, and a handrail were attached to the cab. The deck was located about 11 inches below the cab's doorway and 72 inches above the ground. The front-end loader's steering and braking systems were in good operating condition. Mine records indicated no equipment defects.

The slightly inclined roadway between the feed hopper and material stockpile, a distance of approximately 135 feet,was dry and fairly uniform from side to side. The uphill grade at the base of the stockpile increased slightly, making it difficult to dig with a loader bucket.

The roadway, at the time of the investigation, was clear with the exception of a lone boulder which measured 19 inches in diameter. The boulder was found a few feet in front of the loader and was covered with rubber tire scuff marks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT

Dennis Rose arrived at the mine at 6:50 a.m., January 11, 1996. He immediately went to the D8K dozer, his regularly assigned piece of equipment. He started the engine and conducted his normal pre-shift duties. Rose pushed material in the quarry for about two hours. Once he had stockpiled enough material to keep the plant running he drove the dozer down to the rock plant yard to perform minor maintenance.. He lubricated the machine and changed some of the cutting blades. He was then sent by his supervisor, Donald Newsom, to the feeder area to operate the 980-B front-end loader so he could gain experience in its operation.

At approximately 4:00 p.m., Wayne Elliott, loader operator, stopped Rose at the feeder area so he could give him some pointers on digging on an incline with the front-end loader. He climbed into the operator's seat and drove the loader to the stockpile while Rose sat in the doorway with his legs hanging out over the edge of the deck. Elliott filled the bucket, reversed the loader, and began to back in a semi-circle to the right. The loader traveled about thirty feet before running over something that jolted it. Elliott looked to the front of the loader and saw Rose fall. He stopped the vehicle and started to dismount to check on Rose. He could see that Rose was under the left front wheel and he moved the loader forward.

Elliott secured the loader and went to administer first aid. He performed CPR until the emergency crews arrived.

Rose was pronounced dead at the scene by the County Coroner. He died from crushing injuries.

CONCLUSION

The cause of the accident was the lack of a provision for secure travel while training was being conducted.

VIOLATIONS

Citation No. 3918001, 104(d)(1), Section 56.9200(d)

A trainee, riding unsecured on the outside of the operator's cab, was thrown to the ground when the loader struck a boulder. The trainee was run over by the vehicle. This citation was terminated after the company revised it operator training procedures. Training will no longer be conducted with trainees outside the operator's cab.

Order No. 3918002, 104(d)(1), Section 56.14130(g)

The trainer/operator of a front-end loader involved in a fatal accident was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the occurrence. The citation was terminated following a safety meeting in which the seat belt policy was reviewed with all employees.

Respectfully submitted by:

Edward E. Lopez
Mine Safety and Health Inspector

James Zingler
Mine Safety and Health Inspector

Approved by:

Fred M. Hansen
Manager,Western District
Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
[FAB96M01]