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METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On March 24, 2004, a 41-year-old, driller with 22 years mining experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone mine. The victim was using a track mounted drill to drill blast holes. Apparently, he attempted to manually thread a new drill steel, with the mast vertical and the drill head rotating, when the rotating steel entangled him.

Photo of Accident Scene

Best Practices

  • Train all personnel to help them recognize and under
    • stand procedures to safely perform tasks before beginning any work.
  • Ensure that personnel follow the manufacturer's procedures when adding drill steels.
  • Never manually thread drill steels when the drill head is rotating.
  • Do not wear loose fitting clothing when working around drilling machinery.
  • Monitor personnel routinely to determine that procedures are followed.
    • 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 7th fatality reported in calendar year 2004 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2003, there were five fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 4th fatality classified as Machinery in 2004. There was one Machinery fatality in the same period in 2003.

    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