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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On July 21, 2005, a 31-year old plant operator with two years mining experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation. The victim made a splice on a conveyor belt and was making adjustments to the belt. He was found entangled in the tail pulley of the conveyor.

Photo of Accident Scene

Best Practices

  • Stop, Look, Analyze, and Manage (SLAM) each task.
  • Keep all guards securely in place except when testing or making adjustments which cannot be performed without the removal of the guard.
  • Align conveyor belts from a safe location where the moving parts can't grab you.
  • Clean up excessive spillage before repairing a conveyor belt.
More Information E-mail Suggestion for Accident Prevention Program Submit your own suggestion for a remedy to prevent this type of accident in the future.
Please specify if you wish your submission to be anonymous or whether your name may be used. Please include the year of the fatality and the fatality number.


This is the 18th fatality reported in calendar year 2005 in Metal and Nonmetal mining. As of this date in 2004, there were 14 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 7th fatality classified as Powered Haulage in 2005. There were 2 Powered Haulage fatalities in the same period in 2004.

The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.


For more information:
Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report



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