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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On May 16, 2002, a 43-year-old supervisor with 25 years of experience at this mine, was fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation. The victim was using a dozer to level material at the end of a pipe that discharged waste sand into a water filled pit that had been dredged. Heavy rains had caused the water level in the pit to raise several feet above normal. A large section of the material sloughed and the dozer fell into the water-filled pit. The victim surfaced but was unable to swim to the shore.

Photo of Accident Scene

Best Practices

  • Evaluate the stability of any uncompacted ground prior to operating mobile equipment on it, especially after heavy rains.

  • Require flotation devices be maintained in the operator's cab on mobile equipment working in the vicinity of water.
    • 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 15th fatality reported in calendar year 2002 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2001, there were 13 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the first fatality classified as Other (Drowning) in 2002. There were no Other 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