MSHA has issued a safety alert following a serious accident involving a portable crusher at a surface mine.
[caption id="attachment_86116" align="alignright" width="488"]
A miner attempted to manually turn the crusher rotor with a pry bar when his foot was caught in the moving part[/caption]
Miners were working to unplug a crusher and after the obstruction was cleared, the crusher still would not turn. A miner attempted to manually turn the crusher rotor with a pry bar when his foot was caught in the moving part.
Co-workers helped to free him and he was transported him to a local hospital for medical treatment. The accident occurred on June 22, 2017.
MSHA has the following advice to help prevent such accidents,
Best Practices
- Conduct a job hazard analysis to identify all potential hazards associated with the work to be performed, and jointly discuss procedures to minimize those hazards
- Review maintenance procedures to ensure all possible hazards have been identified and appropriate controls are in place to protect miners
- Make sure everyone is positioned so they are not exposed to the hazards
- Support or block all components against motion, and personally lock out and tag out equipment
- Make sure that proper equipment and tools are provided and used and that everyone is trained in safe work procedures
- Follow manufacturer’s specifications and operating procedures.
