The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on Aug. 18, a miner was killed at H.J. Hove, Riverside, Calif., while attempting to clear a material blockage. The miner entered the cone crusher to begin work when the material shifted and engulfed him. He was extracted from the crusher and taken to a hospital, where he died the next day.
This is the 13th fatality reported in 2020, and the second classified as “Fall of Material.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Properly design chutes and crushers to prevent blockages. Install a heavy screen (grizzly) to control the size of material and prevent clogging.
- Equip chutes with mechanical devices such as vibrating shakers or air cannons to loosen blockages, or provide other effective means of handling material, so miners are not exposed to entrapment hazards by falling or sliding material.
- Establish and discuss policies and procedures for safely clearing crushers.
- Train miners to recognize and safely remove all potential hazards before beginning work and when clearing blocked crushers.