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MSHA - Fatal Investigation Report

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT
Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health

Accident Investigation Report
Surface Nonmetal Mine
(Granite)

Fatal Powered Haulage Accident

Mid-State Construction & Materials, Incorporated
Arch Street Quarry
Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas
I.D. No. 03-01657

November 9, 1998

By

Michael Davis
Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector

Robert Capps
Mine Safety and Health Inspector

James Angel
Mechanical Engineer

John Fredland
Supervisory Civil Engineer

Originating Office
South Central District
Mine Safety and Health Administration
1100 Commerce St., Room 4C50
Dallas, TX 75242-0499

Doyle D. Fink
District Manager

GENERAL INFORMATION

Lesley W. Ballard, utility operator, age 51, was fatally injured at about 5:00 p.m. on November 9, 1998 when the truck he was operating went over the edge of a stockpile. Ballard had two years mining experience as a utility operator, all at this mine. He had not received training in accordance with 30 CFR, Part 48.

MSHA was notified at 6:30 a.m. on the day after the accident by a telephone call from the area safety manager. An investigation was started the same day.

The Arch Street Quarry, a milling operation, owned and operated by Mid-State Construction & Materials Inc., was located at Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. The principal operating official was Tommy Sentell, plant manager. The plant was normally operated two, 12-hour shifts Monday through Thursday, one 12-hour shift Friday and an 8-hour shift Saturday. A total of 39 persons was employed.

Broken granite was purchased from the 3M company quarry nearby and trucked to the Mid-State Plant where it was crushed, sized and stockpiled for sale as construction aggregate.

The last regular inspection of this operation was completed on September 22, 1998. Another inspection was conducted following this investigation.

PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED

The accident occurred at the SB-2 stockpile which consisted of minus 1.5 inch stone. It had been built by trucks dumping material in 4-foot layers. The stockpile was about 350 feet long, 70 feet wide and ramped to a height of 22 feet at the end where the accident occurred. The ramp was inclined at a 12 percent grade for the first 170 feet, then rose at a grade of 5 to 7 percent before leveling off.

The area at the dump-point was about 60 feet wide and sloped upward at about a 2 percent grade to a berm at the edge of the stockpile. A portion of the edge had given way under the truck. Indentations were visible at the edge of the pile where the rear truck wheels had been. Tire tracks indicated that the truck was backing in line with the long axis of the pile. However, the loaded-out end of the pile was at an angle of about 67 degrees, rather than perpendicular, to the long axis. This indicated that as the truck backed to the edge, the right rear tire would have been almost 5 feet closer to the edge than the driver's side rear tire.

The berms that remained at the dump-point adjacent to where the truck went over the edge were 33 inches and 24 inches high. Portions of these berms had sloughed due to load out activities below.

At the point where the truck went over the edge, the pile had been loaded-out making portions of the pile steeper than the material's normal angle of repose. To a height of roughly 10 feet, the material at the face was at an angle of 27 to 34 degrees. Above this level, the face of the pile was nearly vertical.

The front-end loader operators stated that when loading out the SB-2 material, the loader could reach about three quarters of the way up the pile face. Overhanging material had been observed earlier in the day but, reportedly, it had fallen before the accident occurred.

The truck involved in the accident was a 1980 Caterpillar 769C rear-dump, powered by a 450-HP diesel engine and a 7-speed automatic transmission. The service brakes were air over oil acutated with expander type brakes on the front wheels and internal wet disks on the rear wheels. The emergency/parking brake system consisted of spring applied oil pressure disengaged disk brakes on the rear wheels. The empty truck weighed approximately 33.5-tons and the load capacity was 35-tons. Tests showed the brake and steering systems were functional.

The truck was equipped with side view mirrors and seat belts. The victim was not wearing the seat belt. The right side mirror had a broken weld which prevented the securing bolt from fixing the mirror in place once it had been adjusted. This may have prevented the victim from being able to see the berm area at the right rear of the truck as he was backing. The mid-axle height of the truck was 34 inches.

The weather was clear at the time of the accident, but up to a half-inch of rain had fallen earlier that day.

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT

On the day of the accident, Lesley Ballard (victim) reported for work at 6:00 a.m., his regular starting time. He helped repair a shaker screen at the plant and work proceeded without incident during the morning. At noon he began operating the truck hauling stone from the plant to the B stockpile. At about 4:30 p.m., Brian Rushin, foreman, called Ballard on the radio and instructed him to haul a couple of loads of material to the SB-2 stockpile. Ballard hauled one load and dumped it at the edge of the SB-2 stockpile and then returned to dump the second load when the accident occurred.

Gerald Glomski, loader operator, was passing between the SB-2 stockpile and screenings stockpile and saw the victim's overturned truck. He immediately called Rushin. Ballard was pinned under the truck. A front-end loader was used to raise the truck and Ballard was pronounced dead at the scene by the county medical examiner a short time later.

CONCLUSIONS

The accident was caused by the over-steepened stockpile face. The mine operator's failure to inspect the dump location prior to commencing dumping and the lack of an established procedure to evaluate the stability of dump locations were contributing factors. Lack of training in safe work practices and procedures regarding the dangers of dumping above a loaded-out area may also have been a contributing factor. Failure to wear seat belts contributed to the severity of the accident.

VIOLATIONS

Order Number 4713584, was issued on November 10, 1998 under the provisions of Section 103(k)of the Mine Act:

A fatal accident occurred at this operation on November 9, 1998, when a stockpile edge collapsed under a haul truck. This order prohibits any work in the area of the effected stockpile until the mine or the affected areas can be returned to normal mining operations as determined by an Authorized Representative of the Secretary of Labor. The operator shall obtain approval from an Authorized Representative for plans to recover and/or restore operations in the affected area.

This order was terminated on November 22, 1998 after it was determined that the mine could safely resume normal operation.

Citation Number 4713587 as issued on December 15, 1998, under the provisions of Section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR 56.9304(b):

A fatal accident occurred at this operation on November 9, 1998, when a truck driver was fatally injured while dumping a load of material on the SB-2 stockpile. The face of the stockpile had been over-steepened and the edge collapsed under the weight of the truck. Failure to establish a safe distance for dumping back from undercut edges of stockpiles is a lack of reasonable care which constitutes more than ordinary negligence and is an unwarrantable failure to comply with the mandatory safety standard.
Order Number 4713589 was issued on December 15, 1998, under the provisions of Section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR 56.9304(a):

A fatal accident occurred at this operation on November 9, 1998, when a truck driver was fatally injured while dumping a load of material on the SB-2 stockpile. The face of the stockpile had been over-steepened and the edge collapsed under the weight of the truck. The mine operator failed to inspect dumping locations prior to work commencing. Failure to conduct such inspections is a lack of reasonable care which constitutes more than ordinary negligence and is an unwarrantable failure to comply with a mandatory safety standard.

Citation Number 4713590 was issued on December 15, 1998, under the provisions of Section 104(a) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR 56.14131(a):

A fatal accident occurred at this operation on November 9, 1998, when a truck driver was fatally injured while dumping a load of material on the SB-2 stockpile. The face of the stockpile had been over-steepened and the edge collapsed under the weight of the truck. The victim was not wearing a seat belt and was pinned under the overturned truck.

Citation Number 4713591 was issued on December 15, 1998, under the provisions of Section 104(a) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR 50.10:

A fatal accident occurred at this operation at about 5:00 P.M. on November 9, 1998. MSHA was not notified of the accident until 6:30 a.m. the following day.

Participants in the Investigation

Mid-State Construction & Materials, Inc.

Chris Bryan..........corporate safety director-martin marietta
William T. Thornton..........general safety rep.- martin marietta
Brian Rushin..........dayshift foreman
Gerald Glomski..........Loader operator
John Cox..........loader operator
James Sanderson..........loader operator
Sean Tucker..........loader operator
Edward Ragsdale..........evening shift foreman
William Salyers..........truck driver
Terry Smith..........truck driver
Clevon Johnson..........truck driver
Larry Ballard..........truck driver

Little Rock Police Department

Garrick St. Pierre..........officer - downtown patrol division

J. A. Riggs Tractor Co.

James M. Patton..........loss control specialist
Joel Rucker..........service technician

Pulaski County Coroners office

Garland L. Camper..........chief investigator

Mine Safety and Health Administration

Robert Capps..........mine safety and health inspector
Michael A. Davis..........supervisory mine inspector

Approval and Certification Center

James L. Angel..........mechanical engineer mechanical safety Division

Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center

John W. Fredland..........supervisory civil engineer - mine waste & geotechnical engineering division

Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon FAB98M47