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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On April 10, 2000, a 40-year-old driller (contractor employee) with 20 years mining experience was fatally injured at a surface gold mine. The victim was adding a drill rod to the drill head when his coat became entangled in the rotating steel.

Fatal Alert Bulletin Drawing

Best Practices

  • Rotation should be stopped when manually changing drill rods.

  • Drills should be fitted with automated systems for changing rods, or two persons should be present when rods are changed manually.

  • Loose fitting clothing should not be worn when working around drilling machinery.

    • More Information
    E-mail Suggestion for Accident Prevention Program    		 Submit your own suggestion for a remedy to prevent this type of accident in the future.
    Please specify if you wish your submission to be anonymous or whether your name may be used. Please include the year of the fatality and the fatality number.

    This is the 11th fatality reported in calendar year 2000 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 1999, there were 16 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the third fatality classified as Machinery in 2000. There were four machinery Fatalities in the same period in 1999.

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    The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.


    For more information:
    Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report