The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on Aug. 21, a truck driver at Martin Marietta Materials’ Moore Quarry, Pocahontas, Iowa, sustained fatal head injuries while he was deploying the automatic tarp on his fifth-wheel side-dump trailer.
This is the sixth fatality classified as “Machinery” since Aug. 21.
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Install and use constant pressure electrical switches to deploy/retract automatic trailer tarps.
- Inspect and maintain tarping systems routinely to ensure tarping systems function properly.
- Install signs warning of the hazard of standing near trailers while automatic tarps are deployed/retracted.
- Train miners on proper tarping techniques to understand the hazards associated with the work being performed.