MSHA has issued a series accident alert following an incident at a surface sand mine.
On March 20, 2017, a miner at a surface, industrial sand plant was unloading sand from the bottom of the rail car when he slipped and was pulled up into the conveyor.
He became stuck under the conveyor covers at the top of the conveyor, about 25-feet above ground level. The miner was able to radio for help. Emergency staff arrived on site, extracted and transported the miner to the hospital to treat his serious injuries.
MSHA has the following advice to help prevent such accidents:
Best practices
- Ensure that persons are trained, including task training, to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed
- Position mobile conveyors to eliminate exposure of moving parts before operating
- Establish and discuss safe work procedures before beginning work. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed and use methods to properly protect persons
- Conduct work place examinations before beginning any work. Ensure pre-operational checks are conducted and identified needs for maintenance are properly addressed
- Identify hazards around conveyor systems, design guards, and or emergency stop systems before putting into operation
- Always provide and maintain guarding sufficient to prevent contact with moving machine parts
- Do not wear loose fitting clothing when working near moving machine parts
- Do not place yourself in a position that will expose you to hazards while performing a task
- Provide and maintain a safe means of access to all working places.
