A front-end loader backed over a highwall, and the fall projected material from the loader bucket through the windshield, says the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
The operator was able to climb out of the cab and only suffered minor injuries. He was wearing a seat belt.
Best Practices:
- Always wear a seat belt when operating self-propelled mobile equipment.
- Retrofit FELs, bulldozers, haul trucks, and other mobile equipment with operator’s seats that provide 3-point seat restraints, airbags, and other technologies to provide better protection to equipment operators.
- Always be attentive to changes in ground conditions and visibility when operating machinery.
- Perform work a safe distance away from highwalls.
- Maintain control of self-propelled mobile equipment while it is in motion.
- Adequately task train mobile equipment operators.
