MSHA is reporting three fatalities at aggregates operations in the month of April.
On April 11, 2014, a 53-year-old scaler with eight years of experience and a 29-year old scaler with eight years of experience were killed at an underground limestone mine. The miners were in a basket on a boom truck scaling a pillar about 40 ft. above the mine floor. Large slabs of rock fell from the rib and struck an outrigger and the back of the truck, causing the boom to fall to the mine floor.
These are the fifth and sixth fatalities reported in calendar year 2014 in metal and nonmetal mining. These are the first and second Fall of Rib fatalities in 2014. There were zero Fall of Rib fatalities in the same period in 2013.
On April 17, 2014, a 58-year-old truck driver with 3½ years of experience was killed at a sand and gravel mine. An excavator was loading material in a haul truck parked at the pit. When the victim exited the truck, he was struck by the excavator bucket and pinned against the truck.
This is the seventh fatality reported in calendar year 2014 in metal and nonmetal mining. As of this date in 2013, there were five fatalities reported in metal and nonmetal mining. This is the first Machinery fatality in 2014. There was one Machinery fatality in the same period in 2013.