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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On October 12, 2005, a 36-year old bagger, with 10 weeks mining experience, was fatally injured at an industrial sand operation. The victim was shoveling sand from the bulk bag warehouse roof and fell approximately 17½ feet to a concrete loading dock.

Photo of Accident Scene Showing Location of Victim before falling.

Best Practices

  • Stop, Look, Analyze, and Manage (SLAM) each task to identify all potential hazards. Initiate action to protect yourself when performing every task.
  • Train all miners to recognize health and safety hazards of the assigned task and ensure that steps are taken to safely complete the task.
  • Always wear appropriate fall protective equipment where hazards from falling exist.
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 28th fatality reported in calendar year 2005 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2004, there were 21 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 2nd fatality classified as Slip/Fall of Person in 2005. There were six Slip/Fall of Person 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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