Mine Safety and Health Administration
    MSHA - Protecting Miners' Safety and Health Since 1978

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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On January 6, 2009, a 41 year-old laborer with 3 years of experience was injured at a sand and gravel operation. The victim was operating a skid steer loader underneath a belt conveyor that was being dismantled. Two coworkers were in an elevated manlift removing a 12-foot piece of 4-inch metal tubing from the leg supports of the belt conveyor frame. The tubing fell into the front of the skid steer loader as it approached the work area, striking the victim. He was hospitalized and died on January 9, 2009.

Photo of Accident Scene Described in the Paragraph Above
The red line shows the original location of the tubing.


Best Practices
  • Establish and review procedures to ensure all possible hazards have been identified and appropriate controls are in place to protect persons before beginning work. Discuss procedures with all persons present in the work area.
  • Establish policies to ensure that barricades or warning signs are installed to prohibit access and protect persons from falling object hazards.
  • Remove all persons from beneath the area where overhead work is being performed.
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 1st fatality reported in calendar year 2009 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2008, there were no fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 1st Falling Material fatality in 2009. There were no Falling Material fatalities in the same period in 2008.

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