Surface – Sand and Gravel – On April 14, 2018, an excavator operator was trapped in the cab for several minutes after material from a bank fell engulfing the excavator. The miner suffered injuries to his arm.
Best Practices
- Train all persons to recognize adverse conditions and environmental factors that can decrease highwall stability and understand safe job procedures to eliminate all hazards before beginning work.
- Examine highwalls and material piles from as many perspectives as possible (bottom, sides, and top/crest) while maintaining the safety of the examiners. Look for cracking, displacement, or other signs of distress.
- Maintain safe access to the top of highwalls so thorough examinations can be conducted.
- Perform supplemental examinations of highwalls, banks, benches, and sloping terrain in the working area during and following inclement weather.
- Immediately remove all personnel exposed to hazardous ground conditions, barricade and post signs to prevent entry, and promptly correct unsafe conditions.
- Use mining methods that ensure highwall and bank stability and safe working conditions. Avoid undercutting and/or over steepening of the highwall or bank slope. Mine only material that freely flows down.