The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on Oct. 19, an excavator’s bucket struck a plant operator who was standing on the cross beam of a grizzly hopper screen at Swayback Quarry, Larimer, Colo.
This is the 22nd fatality reported in 2020, and the seventh classified as “Machinery.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
• Never swing buckets over work areas or operator’s compartments.
• Maintain communication between equipment operators and miners on the ground.
• Maintain control of equipment while it is in operation.
• Train miners to safely perform their tasks.