The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued a new Serious Accident Alert.
On Oct. 22, 2017, a miner was working on clearing a jammed primary crusher. While using an air hammer to break up a large rock, another rock became dislodged and slid down, pinning the miner’s feet. After being pinned for nearly an hour, the victim was freed and taken to a nearby hospital for observation.
MSHA recommends the following Best Practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Establish policies and follow manufacturer’s recommended procedures for conducting specific tasks on crushers. Implement measures to ensure miners are positioned safely and protected from hazards while performing the task.
- Task train persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
- Do not work below unsecured material.
- Remove excess material by mechanical means where possible before the cause of the blockage can be dealt.
- When removal of material by hand is necessary, the crusher and associated plant must be stopped and isolated.
- Manual removal should only be carried out by suitably trained and competent persons.
- This alert can be posted on bulletin boards, used in safety talks, or given to miners and contractors as a hand out.