Surface – Limestone – On July 9, 2018, a miner was injured when the belt conveyor he was standing on unexpectedly moved. The miner was standing on the conveyor to repair the crushing plant engine. After being repaired the engine was started, activating belt conveyor movement.The miner was knocked down and conveyed feet-first up to the head pulley. He was then discharged into a feed hopper six feet below. The miner was able to get to his feet and cling to the inside of the hopper wall’s edge. Other miners heard screams for help, shut down the engine and rescued the injured miner from the hopper.
Best Practices
- Do not perform work on belt conveyors or crushers until the power is off, locked, and tagged, and machinery components are blocked against motion.
- Establish policies and follow manufacturer’s recommended procedures for conducting specific tasks on crushers. Inspect the work areas for all potential hazards including places that persons may fall from or through.
- Implement measures to ensure miners are positioned safely and protected from hazards while performing the task. Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards.
- Task train persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
- Provide a visible and/or audible system, with a start-up delay, to warn persons that a belt conveyor will begin moving.