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August 21, 2020 Fatality - Fatality Alert

Lapse in Appropriations

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Accident Report: Fatality Reference

MINE FATALITY – On August 21, 2020, a truck driver sustained fatal head injuries while he was deploying the automatic tarp on his fifth-wheel side-dump trailer.

Accident scene

Best Practices

  • Install and use constant pressure electrical switches to deploy/retract automatic trailer tarps.
  • Inspect and maintain tarping systems routinely to ensure tarping systems function properly.
  • Install signs warning of the hazard of standing near trailers while automatic tarps are deployed/retracted.
  • Train miners on proper tarping techniques to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.

Additional Information

This is the sixth fatality classified as “Machinery” since August 21, 2020.