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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On June 4, 2001, a 27-year-old miner first class, with 4 years mining experience was fatally injured at an underground platinum mine. The victim had parked his load-haul-dump tractor (LHD) and was loading steel into the bucket by hand when the LHD drifted forward and struck him.

Photo of Accident Scene Showing Loader Bucket    Photo of Accident Scene Showing LHD

Best Practices

  • Mobile equipment should not be left unattended unless the controls are in the park position and the parking brake is set.
  • When mobile equipment is parked, the bucket or blade should be lowered to the ground.
  • 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 14th fatality reported in calendar year 2001 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2000, there were 18 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the fifth fatality classified as Powered Haulage in 2001. There were ten Powered Haulage fatalities in the same period in 2000.


    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