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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On October 14, 2002, a 25-year-old front-end loader operator, with 3 months mining experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation. The victim parked his loader near the toe of a 33 foot highwall and left the operator's cab when material sloughed off the highwall and buried him.

Photo of Accident Scene

Best Practices

  • Train all employees in hazard recognition and ensure they follow all safety requirements.
  • Ensure that loose ground and overhanging material is taken down or block all access to those areas.
  • Adopt mining methods that will maintain wall, bank or slope stability in all work areas.
    • 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 31st fatality reported in calendar year 2002 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2001, there were 23 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the first fatality classified as Fall of Highwall in 2002. There were no Fall of Highwall fatalities in the same period in 2001.

    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