MSHA has issued a fatalgram following an accident at an Arizona mine.
On July 27, 2017, a miner was fatally injured when his light-duty truck was run over by a haul truck. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
To help prevent such accidents MSH has the following advice
Best Practices
- Do not park smaller vehicles in a large truck's potential path of movement
- Before moving mobile equipment, be certain no one is in the intended path; sound the horn to warn possible unseen persons; and wait to give them time to move to a safe location
- Ensure all persons are trained to recognize workplace hazards - specifically, the limited visibility and blind areas inherent to operation of large equipment and the hazard of mobile equipment traveling near them
- Establish procedures that require smaller vehicles to maintain a safe distance from large mobile equipment until eye contact is made or approval to move closer is obtained from the mobile equipment operator. Provide training on these procedures
- Install cameras and collision avoidance systems on large trucks to protect persons
- Regularly monitor work practices and reinforce their importance. Take immediate action to correct unsafe conditions or work practices
This is the 7th fatality reported in calendar year 2017 in metal and nonmetal mining. As of this date in 2016, there were 10 fatalities reported in metal and nonmetal mining. This is the 2nd Powered Haulage fatality in 2017. There were two Powered Haulage fatalities in the same period in 2016.
