MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT
Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health
Surface Nonmetal Mine
(Limestone)
Fatal Fall of Highwall Accident
O'Neal Quarry and Mill
Chemical Lime Company of Alabama, Inc.
Calera, Shelby County, Alabama
Mine I.D. 01-00003
October 20, 1999
by
Merle E. Slaton
Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector
Danny W. Wriston
Mine Safety and Health Inspector
Wayne Carey
Electrical Engineer
Originating Office
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Southeastern District
135 Gemini Circle, Suite 212; Birmingham, Alabama 35209
Martin Rosta, District Manager
OVERVIEW
On October 20, 1999, Michael W. Pierce, electrician, age 26, was fatally injured when he was struck by rock that fell from a highwall. Pierce was sitting on a rock about 20 feet away from the wall, splicing an electrical cable when rock fell from the highwall and struck him.
The accident occurred because loose, fractured rock on the highwall had not been scaled. Pierce had a total of one year and four months mining experience, all with this company, as an electrician. He had received training in accordance with 30 CFR Part 48.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The O'Neal Quarry and Mill, an open pit limestone quarry, owned and operated by Chemical Lime Company of Alabama, Inc., was located near Calera, Shelby County, Alabama. The principal operating official was John Yarbrough, plant manager. The mine normally operated two, 10-hour shifts a day, seven days a week. Total employment was forty-six persons.
Limestone was quarried from a multiple bench pit. It was drilled and blasted then loaded by front-end loader into haul trucks and transported to the plant where it was crushed, sized, and separated according to chemical composition. Limestone was fed by conveyor into rotating kilns where carbon dioxide was dissipated, leaving an oxide, or quicklime. The quicklime was sized, stored, and shipped to customers for use in water treatment plants.
The last regular inspection of this operation was completed on June 3, 1999. A regular inspection was conducted following this investigation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT
The day before the accident occurred, a submersible pump located in a water-filled sump on the quarry floor had been removed in preparation for blasting a production shot about 200 feet from where the pump was located. The blast was shot at about 3:00 p.m. and fly rock that landed in the sump had been mucked until the end of the shift.
On the day of the accident, Michael Pierce (victim) reported for work at 7:00 a.m., his regular starting time. Jeffrey Johnson, quarry superintendent, instructed Pierce and Steve Dismukes, mechanic, to reinstall the pump once the mucking in the sump had been completed. Pierce and Dismukes proceeded to the shop to collect the necessary tools to reinstall the pump, connect the discharge line and splice the electrical cable that would energize the pump. James Campbell, loader operator, was mucking the sump area at about 7:30 a.m. when he observed small stones and dust falling from about ten feet from the top of the highwall. Apparently, Campbell did not inform anyone of the falling material he observed. At about 8:00 a.m., Campbell completed mucking the area and Pierce and Dismukes began reinstalling the pump.
Campbell moved his loader approximately 200 feet away from where Pierce was working and continued mucking the production shot. Work continued without unusual incident. At about 9:30 a.m., Pierce was splicing the electrical cable about 20 feet from the base of the highwall. He was sitting on a rock with his back turned to the wall. Dismukes, was working about 15 feet away from Pierce reinstalling the pump discharge line when he heard a noise and turned. Both Campbell and Dismukes said that they saw Pierce fall onto his back near the edge of the water in the sump. Campbell immediately radioed for help while Dismukes went to Pierce to check on his condition. Dismukes checked Pierce for vital signs but found none. Johnson arrived at the accident site and he and Dismukes started CPR. They continued until the County Corner arrived and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Death was attributed to head trauma. Pierce had been wearing a hard hat at the time of the accident.
INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCIDENT
At about 10:30 a.m. on October 20, 1999, William Wilkie, supervisory mine safety and health inspector of MSHA's Birmingham, Alabama field office was notified of the accident by a telephone call from Steve Davenport, safety director for Chemical Lime Company of Alabama, Inc. MSHA began an investigation the same day with the assistance of mine management and mine employees. Pace International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC, and the designated miners' representative represented the miners and participated in the investigation.
DISCUSSION
1. The accident occurred at the sump in the bottom of the quarry. The sump was located approximately twenty feet from the base of a highwall. On the previous day, the sump pump had been removed and a production shot was blasted in the nearby quarry. Shot rock, that partially filled the sump, had been mucked both the day before the accident and the day of the accident so the pump could be reinstalled.
2. Mine maps indicated that the highwall was 110 to 120 feet vertical with a small ledge, or catch bench, about 65 feet from the base of the highwall. The top of the highwall and ledge were covered with loose. This highwall had not been mined for several years. Active working areas in the mine had benches approximately 50 feet high.
3. The victim was seated on a rock about twenty feet from the highwall, with his back to the highwall. His hard hat, found near where he was sitting, was slightly damaged but not broken.
4. The power cable being spliced was a 480-volt three phase, and would have supplied power to a 100-horse power electrical motor, when connected to the submergible pump.
5. The rock or rocks that struck the victim could not be identified, nor could it be determined from what height they fell from the highwall.
6. When necessary, the highwall was scaled with an excavator from the top of the quarry or a Caterpillar 992 loader from the bottom of the quarry.
7. The victim was wearing a hard hat at the time of the accident; however, he had the hat on backward, with the bill in the back. The inside lining of the hard hat had also been turned. The bill on the hard hat had been bent as a result of being struck by the rock.
CONCLUSION
The cause of the accident was failure to scale loose material from the highwall. Failure to properly examine for loose material on the highwall above the work area, prior to work being conducted, contributed to the accident.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
Order No. 7762181 was issued on October 20, 1999, under the provision of Section 103(K) of the Mine Act:
A fatal accident occurred at this operation on October 20, 1999, when an electrician was attempting to splice a 480-volt cable going to a sump pump in the quarry. A rock fell from the quarry wall striking the victim, causing fatal injuries. This order is issued to assure the safety of persons at this operation until the mine or affected areas can be returned to normal operations as determined by an authorized representative of the Secretary. The mine operator shall obtain approval from an authorized representative for all actions to recover persons, equipment, and/or return affected areas of the mine to normal.Citation No. 7767405 was issued on November 1, 1999, under the provisions of 104 (d) (1) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR Part 56.3200:
An electrician was fatally injured at this operation on October 20, 1999, when a rock fell from the highwall and struck him in the back of the head. The electrician was splicing a power cable for a sump pump about twenty feet from the highwall when the rock fell. Loose ground had not been taken down or supported before work was permitted in the area. Failure to scale loose ground is a serious lack of reasonable care which constitutes more than ordinary negligence and is an unwarrantable failure to comply with a mandatory safety standard.Citation No. 7767406 was issued on November 1, 1999, under provisions of Section 104 (a) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR Part 56.3401:
An electrician was fatally injured at this operation on October 20, 1999, when a rock fell from the highwall striking him in the back of the head. The electrician was splicing a power cable for a sump pump about twenty feet from the highwall when the rock fell. Persons experienced in examining and testing for loose ground had not adequately inspected the area prior to work being preformed.
Related Fatal Alert Bulletin: 
FAB99M43
APPENDIX A
Persons Participating in the Investigation
Chemical Lime Company of Alabama, Inc.
Calvin Duncan .................... operations managerAlston & Bird LLP
Steve Davenport .................... director of safety, personnel and training
Teddy Anz .................... electrical superintendent
Steve Dismukes .................... mobile mechanic
James Campbell .................... loader operator
Jeffery Johnson .................... quarry superintendent
William Charles Ledlow .................... miners representative
Thomas Brown .................... shop steward
Charlie Morgan .................... attorneyPace International Union AFL-CIO, CLC
Kevin Ingham .................... attorney
Javier I. Ramirez .................... associate directorAlabama Mine Safety
David Thomas .................... president, local 0-0563
Jerry Scharf .................... chiefMine Safety and Health Administration Merle E. Slaton .................... supervisory mine safety and health inspector
Danny W. Wriston .................... mine safety and health inspector
Wayne Carey .................... electrical engineer APPENDIX B
Persons Interviewed
Chemical Lime Company of Alabama, Inc.
Jeffery Johnson .................... quarry superintendent
Steve Dismukes .................... mobile mechanic
James Campbell .................... loader operator