DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
Northeastern District
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT
SURFACE NONMETAL MINE
FATAL FALL OF PERSON ACCIDENT
Rappahannock Farm Mine ID No. 44-06471
Solite Corporation
King George, King George County, Virginia
September 1, 1995 By
Charles W. McNeal
Supervisory Mine Safety & Health Inspector
Northeastern District
Mine Safety and Health Administration
230 Executive Drive, Suite 2
Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania 16066-6415
James R. Petrie
District Manager
GENERAL INFORMATION
Everett Ennis, equipment operator, age 24, was fatally injured at about 2:00 p.m., on September 1, 1995, when he fell off a conveyor belt and landed on a loading dock 30 feet below. The victim had a total of 13 months mining experience, all as an equipment operator at this property.
The Rappahannock Farm Mine, a sand and gravel operation, owned and operated by Solite Corporation, was located near King George, King George County, Virginia. The principal operating official was William B. Shumaker, Jr., plant manager. The plant normally operated one 9-hour shift per day, 5 days a week. A total of 6 persons was employed at the site.
Bank run sand and gravel was excavated, screened, sized, and washed. A front-end loader was used to load rear dump trucks with sized material. The product was then hauled to stock piles or to a large storage hopper for river barge loading. Two 24-inch inclined conveyor belts transported the material from the hopper to an enclosed chute that transferred the material to two 48-inch articulating conveyor belts which loaded the barges.
The last regular inspection of this operation was completed on April 27, 1995. This mine had operated 26 years without a lost time accident.
William Cole, maintenance supervisor, notified Dale St. Laurent, MSHA Supervisory Mining Engineer of the Charlottesville, Virginia field office, of the accident at 3:30 p.m., on September 1, 1995.
Mr. St. Laurent immediately notified the Northeastern District
Office. Charles W. McNeal arrived at the property and started
the accident investigation on September 2, 1995.
PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED
The accident occurred at the loading dock used for river barge
loading. A 100-ton capacity feed hopper was used to store and
discharge sized material onto the two 24-inch wide inclined
belt conveyors that were 110 feet long. These conveyors
discharged the product into a 10-foot high cone-shaped transfer
chute. The chute deposited the material onto two 48-inch wide by
50-foot long articulating belt conveyors which loaded the river
barges. The two 24-inch belt conveyors were also used as
walkways to access the head pulleys. They were provided with
cable handrails 3 feet above the walking surface along the length
of the belt with the exception of the top 10 feet. In this area,
the top handrail sloped from 3 feet high to 12 inches high at
the head pulley. The vertical distance from the head pulleys to
the dock below was 30 feet. The disconnect switch for the belt
conveyors was properly constructed to facilitate proper lock-out
procedures. The power to the belt conveyors was locked out
before the belt was used as a walkway. A portable, 3 hp,
gasoline-powered pump was located on the dock. A 2-inch diameter
hose, connected to the discharge end of the pump, was used to
wash out the cone-shaped transfer chutes. There were no barges
tied to the dock at the time of this accident. A 2-inch by
2-inch angle iron protruded from the framework of the transfer
chute between, and in line with, the head pulley and the pump.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT
On the day of the accident, Everett S. Ennis reported for work at 7:00 a.m., his regular starting time. He was assigned by Michael Mascher, plant superintendent, to service equipment and wash out the transfer chute. At approximately 1:45 p.m., Mascher left the site to perform other duties nearby. He returned to the site at approximately 2:00 p.m., and noticed that the pump had stopped.
He proceeded to the dock and observed the hose laying on the dock. Ennis was also lying on the dock beside the pump. Mascher checked him for vital signs and found none. He summoned help with the radio he was carrying. He then began CPR and continued it until a medi-vac team responded and took over. Ennis was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
There were no eyewitnesses to the accident. The investigation
indicated that the victim had been standing on the belt conveyor
in the area of the head pulley while washing out the transfer
chute with a water hose. As he was performing this task, it is
believed that the hose became entangled on the protruding angle
iron. While trying to free the hose, he apparently lost his
balance and fell over the 12-inch high cable handrail to the dock
30-feet below.
CONCLUSION
The primary cause of the fall was the failure to provide adequate
protective railing at the elevated work location. The use of a
safety belt and line could also have prevented the fall.
VIOLATIONS
Citation No. 4292915 was issued under the provisions of Section 104(a) on September 15, 1995, for a violation of 30 CFR 56.15005:
A fatal accident occurred at this operation on September 1, 1995.
A mobile equipment operator fell from the top of a 24-inch wide conveyor belt that transferred sized materials from the feed hopper to the transfer chute for barge loading. The victim was standing on the elevated conveyor belt in the area of the head pulley, 30 feet above the dock. He was using a water hose to wash out the transfer chute. He was not wearing a safety belt and line.
This citation was abated on 10/12/95 after a safety meeting was given and all employees were instructed to use a safety belt and line anytime there is a hazard of falling.
A work platform with railings was constructed at the site of the fatal to reduce the need for a safety belt and line to perform the task.
Citation No. 4292916 was issued under the provisions of Section 104(a) on September 15, 1995, for a violation of 30 CFR 56.11002:
A fatal accident occurred at this operation on September 1, 1995.
A mobile equipment operator fell from the top of a 24-inch wide conveyor belt that transferred sized materials from the feed hopper to the transfer chute for barge loading. This inclined conveyor belt was also used as a walkway and was provided with handrails. The handrails, however, decreased in height at the top 10 feet of the conveyor belt near the head pulley from 36-inches to only 12-inches. The evidence at the scene indicated that the victim was standing on the top of the head pulley using a water hose to wash out the transfer chute. He fell over the handrail to the dock 30 feet below.
This citation was abated on 10/12/95 after two railings at 39 inch and 19 inch were provided completely around the inclined conveyors.
Respectfully submitted by:
/s/ Charles W. McNeal
Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector
Approved by:
James R. Petrie
District Manager
Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
[FAB95M28]