The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on June 13, at a Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community site in Maricopa, Ariz., a dragline was found submerged in 25 ft. of water where a miner had been using it to remove material from a pond.
Divers attempted to locate the dragline operator, and after two days the dragline was extricated from the pond. The victim was recovered from the engine compartment behind the operator’s cab.
This is the ninth fatality reported in 2020, and the second classified as “Machinery.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Maintain control of operating mobile equipment.
- Keep all exits clear in cabs, including alternate and emergency exits, and make sure the doors open freely before beginning work.
- Retrofit older models of equipment with current automatic braking systems.
- Ensure all controls and brakes are set to the appropriate position for the task.