MSHA reported that on August 5, a customer truck driver at Superior Silica Sands San Antonio Plant, Bexar County, Texas, fell from a large container mounted on the trailer of his truck. After opening the container lid, the driver slipped while descending the container. The driver died from his injuries on August 7.
This is the 27th fatality reported in 2023, and the third classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Provide fall protection or safe means of access to miners, contractors, and customers who need to gain access to containers or tankers if there is danger of falling.
- Ensure miners, contractors, and customers wear proper slip resistant footwear and use three points of contact when accessing elevated surfaces.
- Provide site-specific hazard awareness training to customers, including commercial over-the-road truck drivers.