Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/485104
Spring Safety OPERAT I t's no coincidence that the Mine Safety and Health Administra- tion (MSHA) supports Spring Thaw safety workshops, which typically occur for metal/non-metal mines around the country from March through May. These are the months when many operations that have been dormant for the winter begin to produce again — and often with new employees who have never worked in a mining environment. "For our industry, winter has a huge impact on geology, machin- ery, and the humans that work around both," notes Joe Casper, vice president of Safety Services for the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Associ- ation (NSSGA). "They're encountering the use of equipment for the fi rst time in three to four months — or the fi rst time ever. And then there is the impact of freeze/thaw on ground control," he adds, explaining that the change in seasons can also change the geology of highwalls, haul roads, berms, and quarry fl oors. Matt Bunner, safety manager for Tell City, Indiana-based Mulzer Crushed Stone, agrees. "This time of year, most operations in our part of the country typically are dealing with equipment and plants that have been sitting in the elements for weeks. Through exposure to the environment, structural integrity can be compromised. Workers need to be observant." "Observant" is a key word that belongs in any safety program, any time of year. Miners are familiar with MSHA's citable standards, created around unsafe conditions. And MSHA must focus on conditions because a con- dition is something an inspector can see and record. For instance, a moving machine part that lacks required guarding is a citable condition. Lack of working horns or backup alarms is a condition. A non-working set of brakes is a condition. But regardless of how many ma- chine guards and safety features an operation can place on its equipment, human behavior is going to play a substantial part in the success of its safety program. When employees begin to work from habit, and are not aware of the risks around them — are not observant of what might happen — that's when accidents happen. "It's human nature," Bunner says. "We're built to take shortcuts. If you have to go get a ladder or use an available chair to change a lightbulb, we choose the chair. If both are avail- able, we choose the ladder because it is the right tool and safer. If we're hanging Christmas lights, and we have to get down to move the ladder, we're going to lean over just a little bit more to avoid moving that ladder so many times." Bunner says this is the problem that MSHA runs up against. Un- safe conditions only cause about 5 percent of the accidents that occur in aggregate operations. "It's the unsafe thoughts between people's ears that cause incidents and fatalities," he says. What is the answer? Education and discipline. And both require buy-in from management on down to create an effective safety culture. AGGREGATES MANAGER In climates where there is a great deal of freeze/thaw, producers must pay attention to winter's effect on ground control. Changes to a site's geology over the winter months can include sloughing of highwalls, affecting the way the product is extracted, as well as softened road conditions and berms, which can affect the patterns and steering of mining equipment. Inspections and enforcement of regulations are part of operational safety, but education must reinforce safe behavior. Unsafe conditions account for only about 5 percent of all incidents and accidents in aggregate operations. It is human nature to take shortcuts. Min- ers must be educated about the importance of doing their jobs in a safe and healthful manner — and how to do so. 1 What the thaw leaves behind 4 The human factor