METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On April 28, 2005, a 52-year-old electrician leadman, with 30 years mining experience, was fatally injured at an underground platinum operation. The victim was last known to be working on a door control switch located approximately 15 feet from a set of air lock doors. A co-worker, returning to the area, found him caught between the closed doors.
Best Practices
Conduct a Risk Assessment and communicate before beginning a task, to evaluate the work procedures, identify all possible hazards, and ensure steps are taken to safely perform the task. Establish procedures to safely complete repair tasks. When working near air lock doors, block them and bleed off any stored energy to prevent hazardous movement. Ensure that miners are not positioned in areas where they are exposed to hazards resulting from a sudden release of energy. Before working on equipment, disconnect power from the circuit, lock out, and tag out the circuit.
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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. |
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This is the 10th fatality reported in calendar year 2005 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 2004, there were 8 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 4th fatality classified as Machinery in 2005. There were 3 Machinery fatalities during the same period in 2004.
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:
MSHA's Fatal Accident
Investigation Report