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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On November 9, 2001, a 41-year-old conveyor man, with 13 years of mining experience, was fatally injured at a surface sand and gravel mine when he slipped from an embankment, fell into the water, and drowned. The victim and another employee had been doing clean up with a high pressure water hose near the edge of the dredge pond. The other employee fell into the water and when the victim tried to assist him he himself fell into the water. The other miner managed to escape injury by holding on to the bank until he could be pulled from the water..

Accident Scene Photo     Accident Scene Photo

Best Practices

  • Safety belts and lines should be worn when persons work where there is a danger of falling.


  • Life jackets or belts should be worn where there is a danger of falling into the water.


  • Cut off valves should be installed at the nozzle end of high pressure water hoses.


  • Safe work procedures should be developed for each task and employees should be properly trained in the procedures.
    • 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 27th fatality reported in calendar year 2001 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2000, there were 43 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the second fatality classified as Other in 2001. There were three Other 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