Accident Report: Fatality Reference
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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On April 16, 2013, a 58-year old shaftman with 32 years of experience was seriously injured at an underground salt mine. The victim and two coworkers were replacing a bushing on the side of a skip hoist in the production shaft. The victim was standing on a steel beam outside the handrails of a covered work platform where the coworkers were standing, when a piece of salt fell and struck him. He was transported to a hospital where he died on April 17, 2013.
Best Practices
- Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed in a shaft with the methods to properly protect persons.
- Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards, such as falling material, before beginning work.
- Examine the shaft and remove loose material prior to commencing work.
- Implement measures to ensure persons are properly positioned and protected from falling material while performing shaft maintenance work.
- Perform shaft maintenance work from a substantial platform with adequate overhead protection.
- Perform maintenance work for skip hoists and other conveyances on the surface whenever possible.
- Monitor personnel routinely to determine that safe work procedures are followed.
Additional Information
This is the 5th fatality reported in calendar year 2013 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2012, there were 5 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 2nd Falling/Sliding Material fatality in 2013. There were 1 Falling/Sliding Material fatalities in the same period in 2012.