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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION Southeastern District Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health Accident Investigation Report Surface Nonmetal Mine Fatal Powered Haulage Accident Camak Quarry Martin Marietta Aggregates Camak, Warren County, Georgia Mine I.D. 09-00075 October 20, 1997 By Merle E. Slaton Supervisory Mine Inspector And Danny W. Wriston Mine Safety and Health Inspector Originating Office Mine Safety and Health Administration 135 Gemini Circle, Suite 212 Birmingham, Alabama 35209 Martin Rosta District Manager GENERAL INFORMATION Jut L. Anderson, loadout lead man, age 50, was seriously injured at about 10:00 a.m. on October 20, 1997, when he was run over by a locomotive while cleaning the railroad scale. He died as a result of his injuries at about 3:00 a.m. the following day. Anderson had a total of 24 years mining experience at this mine, the last 10 years as a loadout lead man. He had received training in accordance with 30 CFR, Part 48. MSHA was notified by a telephone call from the area production manager for the mining company at 11:00 a.m. on the day of the accident. An investigation was started the following day. The Camak Quarry, a crushed stone operation, owned and operated by Martin Marietta Aggregates, was located at Camak, Warren County, Georgia. The principal operating official was Phillip White, plant manager. The mine was normally operated one, 10-hour shift, five days a week. Total employment was 39 persons. Stone was quarried by drilling and blasting multiple benches. Broken material was crushed, sized, and stockpiled for sale as construction aggregate. Approximately 80% of the finished product was shipped by rail. The last regular inspection at this operation was completed June 19, 1997. Another inspection was conducted in conjunction with this investigation. PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED The accident occurred at the railroad scale in the plant yard. The scale consisted of a shallow pit containing 12, 8-by-12 steel I-beams that were perpendicular to the railroad tracks. The I-beams were spaced evenly at twelve-inch intervals for the length of the scale, which was twelve feet. Metal cover plates, placed between the I-beams to prevent debris from falling into the scale, had been removed so the area beneath them could be cleaned. The loadout area was 1000 feet from the scale. Of this distance, 850 feet sloped at a .02% decline and then leveled off for about 200 feet at the scale. The locomotive involved in the accident was a 125-ton, ALCO, RS-11, company number 7589, powered by an 8400-cubic-inch diesel engine. An air compressor mounted at the rear of the locomotive crank shaft provided 760 cfm of air. On the day of the accident, the locomotive was parked three feet from the scale. The brakes had not been set, and the locomotive was not blocked against motion. One brake shoe had been removed from the right side of the front truck. The victim was using a fiber re-enforced rubber hose, about 54 feet long, to blow debris from the scale, I-beams and rail assembly. This hose was attached to the air compressor circuit on the locomotive. Rail cars were loaded from bins in the plant, one at a time, then turned loose or pushed with a front-end loader so they would roll toward the locomotive in front of the scale. Fourteen railcars had been loaded on the day of the accident, each with about 110 tons of crushed stone. The brakes had not been set on any of the cars. The loadout crew was unaware that the scale was being cleaned when they were releasing the cars. DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT On the day of the accident, Jut Anderson (victim) reported for work at 6:30 a.m., his usual starting time. He worked at various tasks related to his job as loadout lead man which included cleaning railcars in preparation for loading and overseeing loadout procedures. By 8:00 a.m., Billy Moss, a coworker, had parked the locomotive approximately three feet from the scale, with the rear of the engine toward the scale to enable Anderson to use the locomotive's air supply. By 8:30 a.m., ten railcars had been loaded and dropped to the front of the locomotive. At about 10:00 a.m., Anderson was seated at the end of the scale on a cross beam between the rails with his back to the locomotive, blowing debris from the scale. Jason Jones was using the backhoe to clean material beside the pit. At the same time, four more railcars were loaded and released. The cars rolled from the bins a short distance and stopped, blocking an access road. The four cars were about 200 feet from the ten previously loaded railcars. Robert Hobbs, loader operator, saw that the road was blocked by the cars and pushed them with his loader so they would roll on down the track. The four cars hit the other 10 and pushed the locomotive over Anderson. Jones ran to the mine office to summon help. Joe Clemmens, quality control inspector and emergency medical technician, returned with Jones. Anderson was pinned under the locomotive. The locomotive was moved and the brake linkage cut away with a torch so Anderson could be removed. The local rescue squad took Anderson to a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where he died the following day. CONCLUSION The accident was caused by failure to communicate to the load-out crew to discontinue coupling cars while work was being performed in front of the locomotive. Failure to set the brakes and block the locomotive against movement contributed to the severity of the accident. VIOLATIONS Citation No. 4551641 Issued on October 22, 1997, under the provisions of Section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for violation of Standard 56.14217: Order No. 4551642 Issued on October 22, 1997, under the provisions of 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act for the violation of Standard 56.14207: Citation No. 4551643 Issued on October 20, 1997, under the provisions of Section 104(a) of the Mine Act for violation of Section 56.14102: /s/ Merle E. Slaton Supervisory Mine Inspector /s/ Danny W. Wriston Mine Safety and Health Inspector Approved by: Martin Rosta, District Manager Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:  [FAB97M56]
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