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UNITED STATES
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:
Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon [FAB95M28]