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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT
Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health

Surface Nonmetal Mine (Dredge)
Fatal Drowning

Collins Dredge, Mine I.D. No. 22-00117

Bolivar County Gravel Company
Rosedale, Bolivar County, Mississippi

May 7, 1999

by

Donald B. Craig
Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector

Jimmie L. Davis
Mine Safety and Health Inspector

Originating Office
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Southeastern District
135 Gemini Circle, Suite 212; Birmingham, AL 35209
Martin Rosta, District Manager


OVERVIEW


On May 7, 1999, William J. Johnson, crane operator, age 49, drowned when he and a co-worker were thrown from a boat as they tried to dislodge a tree that had become entangled in the dredge's anchor lines. While trying to find and cut a line that had been tied to the tree on one end and secured on shore at the other, the outboard motor was accidently throttled, causing the boat to strike the tree. When the tree moved the line tightened under the boat. When all the slack had been taken out of the line, the boat was raised out of the water and capsized. One employee was saved by fellow workers but the other employee drowned.

The accident occurred as a result of employees working in high water with fast river currents in a small jon boat to attempt a task that required a much larger boat.

Johnson had a total of 10 years, 9 months mining experience, all as a crane operator at this location. He had not received training in accordance with 30 CFR, Part 48.

GENERAL INFORMATION


The Collins Dredge a river dredging operation with an associated on-shore screening plant, owned and operated by the Bolivar County Road Department, was located on the Mississippi River near the town of Rosedale, Bolivar County, Mississippi. The principal operating official was Wanda Ray, county administrator. The dredge normally operated one 8-hour shift a day, 5 days a week. Total employment was six persons.

Sand and gravel was dredged from the river bottom, outside the main river channel. Material was pumped to the screening tower where it was separated. The sand was returned to the river and the gravel was screened and mixed before being conveyed to gravel barges. The barges were then towed to the crane barge and the gravel was unloaded by a clam shell into over-the road trucks. The product was then transported to a screening plant where it was feed into a hopper by front-end loader and separated by size. The finished product, primarily used on county roads, was also sold to individual customers for use.

The last regular inspection of this operation was completed October 22, 1998. Another inspection was conducted at the conclusion of this investigation.

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT


On the day of the accident, William Johnson (victim), reported for work at 7:00 a.m., his normal starting time. He was instructed by Howard Gilbert, foreman, to help his co-workers remove a large tree and logs that had floated downstream and gotten entangled in the dredge anchor lines. They were to tie one end of a line onto the tree and to tie the other end near the shore. They would then let out anchor line at the front right corner of the dredge and allow the rear to swing out toward the river's main channel expecting that the tree would come out of the anchor lines with assistance from the river's current. This method of dislodging debris in the lines had successfully been used in the past.

Johnson and his co-workers put on life jackets. Arthur Cooper, dredge mate, and Johnson were to take the jon boat out to the anchor line where the tree was entangled. While Cooper operated the outboard motor, Johnson was to tie a leave line to the tree. The dredge mate stayed on the dredge to operate the anchor winch cables. Gilbert was in the pilot house of the tow boat to move the dredge, if needed.

Johnson and Cooper tied the leave line to the tree, then tied the other end to a tree near the shore. The crew tried to swing the dredge by letting out the anchor line to try to loosen the tree and logs. When that did not work, it was decided that Johnson and Cooper would go back to the lodged tree and cut the leave line. They approached the line at a right angle, going downstream with the current. The line had become submerged in water, and while Cooper operated the outboard, Johnson was on his knees in the front of the boat, reaching into the water, trying to find the line. As Johnson grabbed the line, the fast current caused the stern end of the boat to swing around. Apparently when Cooper attempted to raise the motor, he accidently throttled the engine, and the boat struck the tree. The tree moved and the submerged line came up lengthwise under the boat, causing it to capsize, throwing both employees into the water. Cooper was rescued by his co-workers but they were unable to rescue Johnson and eventually lost sight of him as he was carried downstream by the current.

Gilbert contacted the County Road Department and informed them of the accident and asked them to summon help. The Coast Guard and Counties Emergency Operations Center were called and asked to assist in the search and within 30 minutes they had three boats and one airplane searching the area.

A commercial fisherman, approximately 1-1/2 miles downstream from the accident site, saw the volunteers searching the river and informed them that he had tied up an unmanned boat he had found drifting upside down. He took them to the boat and when it was up-righted Johnson was found, face down in the water with his life jacket still on. A webbing strap with flotation devices attached to it was wrapped around his legs. Johnson was removed from the water and the county medical examiner pronounced him dead at the scene.

It is believed that when Johnson fell into the water, the current carried him and the jon boat under the dredge.

INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCIDENT


At about 4:30 p.m., on May 28, 1999, Donald B. Craig, Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector of MSHA's Franklin Field Office, Franklin, Tennessee, was notified of the accident by a workers' compensation form received by fax from the mining company. MSHA conducted an investigation with the assistance of mine management and the miners. There was no miners' representative designated at this mine.

PHYSICAL FACTORS


1. The accident occurred at the Collins Dredge, anchored approximately 120 yards from the east shore of the Mississippi River. The Collins Dredge consisted of the dredge, a crane barge and two gravel barges. One gravel barge was tied to the dredge, the other to the crane barge. A tow boat was also in the vicinity.

2. The dredge and gravel barge were held in place with two anchors that weighed about 3000 pounds each and could be swung from side to side by adjusting the anchor lines. When it became necessary to move the dredge to a different location the tow boat was used.

3. The aluminum jon boat involved in the accident measured 14 feet long, 5-1/2 feet wide at its widest section near the middle, and 12 inches deep. It could not be determined who manufactured the boat. It was equipped with a 20- horsepower Johnson outboard motor. Attached to the motor was a webbing strap that measured 1-1/2 inches wide and was connected to the bow of the boat. Three personal flotation devices had been attached to the webbing strap to keep the motor afloat should it become separated from the boat.

4. The tree that became entangled in the anchor lines was approximately 2-1/2 feet in diameter and about 90 feet long. When the river rose it was not uncommon for logs to become entangled in the anchor lines. However, this tree was unusually large with a lot of roots and limbs.

5. The nylon leave line Johnson and Cooper were using was approximately 200 feet long.

6. There had been heavy rains in the area several days prior to the accident. Because of the recent rains, on the day of the accident, the river was somewhat higher with a faster than normal current. The river was approximately 1.5 to 2 miles wide and about 50 foot deep in the area where the accident occurred.

CONCLUSION


The accident was caused by the failure to utilize a boat big enough to withstand the river's current and the movement of the tree when it became dislodged from the anchor lines.

VIOLATIONS


Citation number 4875758 was issued on June 22, 1999, under the provisions of Section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR standard 56.11001:
A crane operator drowned at this operation on May 7, 1999, when he and a co-worker were thrown from a work boat when it became entangled in a line and flipped over. The river current was swift and the water level was high. A small (14-foot) work boat was used to access a large tree that had floated down steam and become entangled in a line attached to the dredge. A larger tow boat was available and could have been used to free the tree. Allowing the workers to use the small boat in the fast moving river current was a serious lack of reasonable care constituting more than ordinary negligence and is an unwarrantable failure to comply with a mandatory safety standard.
This citation was terminated on June 22, 1999. The requirements of 30CFR 56.11001 have been discussed with the administrator. The administrator stated that she will notify the gravel company personnel to use properly sized boats in the future as the job requires.

Citation number 4875750 was issued on June 22, 1999, under the provisions of Section 104(a) for violation of 103(j) and 30 CFR standard 50.10:
A fatality occurred at this operation on May 7, 1999, when two employees were thrown from a work boat when it became entangled in a leave line and flipped over. One worker was rescued and the other drowned. The mine operator did not notify MSHA of the accident until 21 days later.
This citation was terminated on June 22, 1999. The requirements of 30CFR 50.10 and 103(j) of the Mine Act have been discussed with the administrator. The administrator understands that any future event requiring immediate notification will be made as required.

Citation number 4875756 was issued on June 22, 1999, under the provisions of Section 104(a) for violation of 103(j) and 30 CFR standard 50.12:
A fatality occurred at this operation on May 7, 1999, when two employees were thrown from a work boat when it became entangled in a leave line and flipped over. one worker was rescued and the other drowned. The mine operator altered the accident site, in that the work boat and leave line involved in the accident were removed from the site and the dredge, crane barge, and two gravel barges were relocated to different areas on the river.
This citation was terminated on June 22, 1999. The requirements of 30 CFR 50.12 and 103(j) of the Mine Act have been discussed with the administrator. The administrator understands that any future event requiring protecting the accident site will be made as required.

Citation number 4875757 was issued on June 22, 1999, under the provisions of Section 104(a) for violation of 103(d) and 30 CFR standard 50.20:
A fatality occurred at this operation on May 7, 1999, when two employees were thrown from a work boat when it became entangled in a leave line and flipped over. One worker was rescued and the other drowned. The mine operator failed to file an MSHA Form 7000-1 (Accident, Injury Report) within ten working days of the accident.
This citation was terminated on June 22, 1999. The requirements of 30 CFR 50.20 and 103(d) of the Mine Act have been discussed with the administrator. The administrator completed and mailed accident reports (MSHA Form 7000-1) to MSHA's address in Denver on June 9, 1999.

Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:
Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon FAB99M19

APPENDIX A


Persons participating in the investigation:



Bolivar County Government Entity
Wanda Ray .......... county administrator
Wanda Edwards .......... secretary to county administrator
David Costanzi .......... county road manager
Bolivar County Gravel Company


Howard Gilbert .......... foreman
Walter M. Hughes .......... dry screening plant operator
Robert Medders .......... dredge mate
Arthur B. Cooper .......... dredge mate
Willie Stinson .......... dredge helper


Bolivar County Sheriffs Department
Marvin Johnson .......... deputy
Bolivar County Emergency Operations Center
Danny Tharp .......... director acting operations
Mark Rizzo .......... operations chief
Bolivar County Coroners Office
Ernest T. Ray .......... medical examiner/investigator
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Donald B. Craig .......... supervisory mine inspector
Jimmie L. Davis .......... mine safety and health inspector
APPENDIX B

Persons Interviewed

Howard Gilbert .......... foreman
Walter M. Hughes .......... dry screening plant operator
Robert Medders .......... dredge mate
Arthur B. Cooper .......... dredge mate
Willie Stinson .......... dredge helper
Danny Tharp .......... director acting operations
Mark Rizzo .......... operations chief
Ray Daniels .......... EOC volunteer
Ernest T. Ray