Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/468886
AGGREGATES MANAGER March 2015 36 After years of declining fatalities, the metal/non- metal sector sees a spike during the last 16 months. by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief MSHA Steps Up Enforcement and Education R egulators and operators should feel a sense of urgency when it comes to reversing the spike in metal/non-metal fatalities. That was the message shared by Joeseph A. Main, assistant secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, and Neal Merrifield, administrator of metal/non-metal, during a recent conference call with district leaders, operators, and association executives. "There is a sense of urgency that we need to be doing more to prevent the mining deaths that are occurring in the metal/non-metal mining industry," Main says. "It's a wake-up call for us here at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). We have been taking a hard look at what we can do to change the health and safety status that currently exists in the metal/non-metal industry." According to Main, 37 metal/non-metal fatali- ties occurred between October 2013 and January 2015, with four in the first month of this year. Leading causes of fatalities included powered haulage (nine), falling/sliding material (seven), fall of person (five), and machinery (four). While new miners, with less than one year of experience at a mine, were the victims in six fatalities during that timeframe, 14 miners with more than 15 years of experience also lost their lives. More than 25 percent (10) of fatalities occurred among contract employees at a mine site. Of the 28 fatal accident investigations that had been completed at the time of the conference call, Rules to Live By (RTLB) standards were cited 24 times. Investigations on the remaining nine fatali- ties were not complete at the time of the phone call (numbers after each standard indicate which of the 37 fatalities include the RTLB citation). • 46.7(a): New task training, #4, #7, #8, #14, #15, #18 • 56.3130: Wall, bank, and slope stability, #21, #3 • 56.3200: Correction of hazardous conditions, #21 • 56.9101: Operating speeds & control of equip- ment, #15, #7, #8, #11, #16 • 56.12017: Work on power circuits, #18 • 56.14100(b): Safety defects, examination, correc- tion, & records, #14, #2 • 56.14105: Procedures during repairs or mainte- nance, #1, #19 • 56.14130(g): Roll over protective structures (ROPS) & Seatbelts, #8 • 56.14205: Machinery, equip & tools used be- yond design, #14 • 56.14207: Parking procedures for unattended equipment, #19 • 56.15005: Safety belts and lines, #22 • 56.15020: Life jackets and belts, #22 "We are going to be increasing our education