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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health Report of Investigation Surface Metal Mine (Copper) Fatal Powered Haulage Accident October 3, 2001 Phelps Dodge Bagdad, Inc. Phelps Dodge Bagdad, Inc. Bagdad, Yavapai County, Arizona ID No. 02-00137 Accident Investigators Thomas E. Barrington Mine Safety and Health Inspector Pete O. Gutierrez Mine Safety and Health Inspector Robert S. Setren Supervisory Engineer George H. Gardner Jr. Civil Engineer Hilario Palacios Mine Safety and Health Specialist Originating Office Mine Safety and Health Administration Rocky Mountain District P.O. Box 25367, DFC Denver, CO 80225-0367 Irvin T. Hooker, District Manager OVERVIEW
Vernon I. Allen, senior equipment operator, age 53, was fatally injured on October 3, 2001. Allen was operating a Mack semi-tractor and lowboy trailer moving an excavator when he lost control of the truck while descending a grade and collided with the pit highwall. The accident occurred because of maintenance problems with the braking systems and the use of an undersized tractor. Allen had a total of 31 years mining experience, 27 years at this mine. He had received training in accordance with 30 CFR, Part 48. GENERAL INFORMATION
Phelps Dodge Bagdad, Inc., a surface open pit copper mine, owned and operated by Phelps Dodge Bagdad, Inc., was located in Bagdad, Yavapai County, Arizona. The principal operating official was A. John Broderick, president. Copper ore was drilled, blasted, loaded on trucks and transported to a primary crushing circuit. Crushed ore was milled, concentrated, and smelted into copper plates. The mining operation worked a four crew rotation, two twelve-hour shifts a day, seven days a week. Total employment at the mine and milling operations was 550 persons. The last regular inspection of this operation was completed on February 14, 2001. Another regular inspection was conducted at the conclusion of this investigation. DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
On the day of the accident, Vernon I. Allen (victim) reported for work at 6:00 p.m., his normal starting time. As a senior equipment operator, his assigned duties varied each shift. One of his assignments this shift was to load an excavator onto a lowboy trailer and move it to the primary crusher. At approximately midnight, Allen arrived at the truck shop. He and Jeffery Ely, a mine operations supervisor, worked for 90 minutes loading the excavator onto the lowboy. The excavator was not secured to the lowboy trailer in any manner. At approximately 1:30 a.m., Allen drove the tractor-trailer from the shop area and was descending the haul road when he was unable to slow the unit. He then radioed a warning to the other miners using the haul road. The tractor and trailer continued down the haul road before it veered onto the north pit haul road, eventually striking the highwall. Ely heard Allen's call on the radio and drove to the north ramp as he attempted to contact Allen by radio. Ely found Allen pinned in the cab of the tractor, restrained by the seatbelt, and unconscious. The mine dispatcher had already placed a call for the emergency response team who arrived a few minutes later. The jaws of life were used to extract the victim, who was then transported by ambulance to the local medical clinic where he was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma. INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENT
On the day of the accident, MSHA was notified at 2:00 a.m., by a telephone call from Bobby Powell, health and safety manager, to Jake H. DeHerrera, assistant district manager. An investigation was started the same day. MSHA's investigation team traveled to the mine and conducted a physical inspection of the accident site, interviewed a number of persons and reviewed documents relating to the job being performed by the victim and the equipment he was operating at the time of the accident. An order was issued pursuant to Section 103(k) of the Mine Act to ensure the safety of the miners. The investigation was conducted with the assistance of mine management, mine employees and the State of Arizona mine inspectors. The miners did not request, nor have, representation during the investigation. DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
The root cause of the accident was the failure to establish procedures that required the proper capacity tractor to transport the excavator. Maintenance problems with the braking systems and the use of an undersized tractor contributed to the cause of the accident. ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
Order No. 7948828 was issued on October 3, 2001, under the provisions of Section 103(k) of the Mine Act: A fatal accident occurred at this operation on October 3, 2001, when a truck driver lost control of his truck while traveling down an elevated haul road. This order is issued to ensure the safety of the persons at this operation and prohibits any work in the affected area until MSHA determines that it is safe to resume normal operations as determined by an authorized representative of the Secretary of Labor. The mine operator shall obtain approval from an authorized representative for all actions to recover and/or restore normal operations in the affected area.This order was terminated on October 6, 2001. The procedures for moving equipment has been revised and miners have been retrained in these procedures. Citation No. 6272422 was issued on October 29, 2001, under the provisions of Section 104(a) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR 56.14101(a)(1): A fatal accident occurred at this operation on October 3, 2001, when a truck driver lost control of his truck while traveling down an elevated haul road. The service brakes on the 1970 Mack semi-tractor with a Load King lowboy trailer were not adequate. The front brake drum system was altered on the Mack tractor. Slack adjusters were not properly set according to the recommended specifications on the Mack tractor and Load King trailer. The air system to the trailer brakes was not plumbed as required by the manufacturer.This citation was terminated on December 18, 2001, when the operator removed from the mine site the Load King lowboy trailer and provided transport equipment with adequate braking systems to protect miners engaged in hauling large pieces of equipment. Citation No. 6272424 was issued on October 29, 2001, under the provisions of Section 104(a) of the Mine Act for violation of 30 CFR 56.14205: A fatal accident occurred at this mine on October 3, 2001, when the semi-tractor pulling a lowboy trailer was used beyond the design capacity intended by the manufacturers. The loaded Caterpillar 245B excavator exceeded the weight carrying capacity of the tractor.This citation was terminated on December 18, 2001, when the operator removed from the mine site the Load King lowboy trailer and provided transport equipment with adequate braking systems to protect miners engaged in hauling large pieces of equipment. . Related Fatal Alert Bulletin:  FAB00M22
APPENDIX A
Persons Participating in the Investigation Phelps Dodge Bagdad, Inc. A. John Broderick ......... presidentJackson & Kelly PLLC Joseph Ferrara ......... attorney at lawJacobson Forensic Engineering Olaf Jacobson ......... mechanical engineerState of Arizona Timothy Evans ......... deputy mine inspectorMine Safety and Health Administration Thomas E. Barrington ......... mine safety and health inspector APPENDIX B
Persons Interviewed Phelps Dodge Bagdad, Inc. Steve W. Nelson ......... mine maintenance superintendent |
