Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/468886
37 AGGREGATES MANAGER March 2015 SAFETY and outreach to the mining community, as well as our enforcement," Main adds. "We need to up our game to provide better protections for our nation's min- ers." He says the agency plans to inspect mines with a focus on the areas it has identified as being the subject of in- creasing fatalities. In addition to scru- tinizing sand and gravel and cement operations, both of which have experi- enced an increase compared to historic averages, and looking at job categories such as supervisors, contract employees, and truck drivers, the agency will scru- tinize the following operational areas: - Training — including task training — to address hazards associated with the work being performed; - Workplace exam; - Hazard identification; - Proper lock out and tag out proce- dures; - Pre-operational checks — includ- ing remediation of any defects in a timely manner; and - Proper use of PPE. "They are just basic safety fundamen- tals that should have been in place," Main says, noting that the fatalities outlined in MSHA's PowerPoint presen- tation (available for download at www. aggman.com) provide a good overview of what inspectors will be looking for when they visit a mine site. "We've asked our inspectors to make sure that these areas are in compliance with our regulations," Merrifield adds. "And, if they are not in compliance, we will issue citations for violations. We have to take a position that it's no lon- ger business as usual. We're asking for everybody's support to make this hap- pen." AM B E K A - L U B R I C A T I O N S P E C I A L I S T S S I N C E 1 9 2 7 1 . 8 8 8 . 8 6 2 . 7 4 6 1 w w w. b e k a - l u b e . c o m The extra uptime is FREE! Lower costs for parts and service will pay back your investment fast with Beka-Max automatic lubrication systems... and there's no extra charge for the added productivity from your equipment! ŗ More production, less unscheduled downtime ŗ Longer life for critical components ŗ Expert factory support with dealers nationwide Best Practices • Train all persons, including task training, to recognize all potential hazard- ous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work. • Examine work areas to identify all possible hazards and eliminate them be- fore performing work. • Do not perform work until the power is off, locked, and tagged, and machin- ery components are blocked against motion. • Conduct pre-operational checks to identify any defects that may affect the safe operation of equipment. • Maintain mobile equipment. • Always wear a seat belt when operating mobile equipment. • Clear and remove all persons from the blast area unless suitable blasting shelters are provided to protect persons from flyrock. • Ensure all active working areas are ventilated prior to allowing miners to work in those areas. • Wear fall protection where there is a danger of falling. • Always provide and maintain guarding sufficient to prevent contact with moving machine parts. 0 3 6 9 12 15 1 Year 1-2 Years 3-5 Years 6-14 Years 15+ Years Fatal accidents by experience at the mine. Source: MSHA