Surface Crushed & Broken Granite – On August 9, 2018, a miner was injured when the pan scraper he was operating stalled, travelled through a berm and rolled over a bench. The operator of the pan scraper was wearing a seatbelt and was able to escape with a cut arm.
Best Practices
- Always wear a seatbelt while operating mobile equipment.
- Inspect mobile equipment thoroughly before operation.
- If deficiencies exist or if they develop during use, promptly remove equipment from service and report the problems to management.
- Berms must be at least mid-axle height to the largest piece of equipment using a roadway.
- Maintain equipment braking systems in good repair and adjustment.
Seatbelts save lives. MSHA estimates that 3-4 miners have died each year in the past decade because they were not wearing seatbelts. Encouraging seatbelt use is part of MSHA’s initiative to reduce Powered Haulage accidents. For more information, see www.msha.gov/poweredhaulage