The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that on Jan. 7, a 49-year-old front-end loader operator with 15 years of mining experience died at Arcosa’s Fayette County, Pa., operation when a large rock fell from the mine roof, crushing the cab of the front-end loader. When the accident occurred, the victim was loading material from a recently blasted shot.
This is the first fatality reported in 2022, and the first classified as “Fall of Roof or Back.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Scale the back and ribs before performing work in an area.
- Conduct examinations of the back, face, and ribs where miners work and travel.
- Install suitable ground support where conditions warrant.
- Use geologic hazard mapping to identify adverse conditions and be aware of changing ground conditions.
- Train miners to identify workplace hazards and take action to correct them.