Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/485104
AGGREGATES MANAGER Voices of Experience Matt Bunner Joseph Casper ▼ ▼ W hat are some of the hazards in aggregate mining that are unique to spring startup? In addition to changes in geolo- gy and cold, wet weather's effects on equipment, miners are often tasked with work that doesn't normally fall under their job descriptions, says Matt Bunner, safety manager for Mulzer Crushed Stone, based in Tell City, Indiana. "The first full week of operation after winter, we go through spring cleaning," he explains. "And this often requires workers to handle jobs they aren't used to doing. For instance, a haul truck driver might be helping out in the plant. There's a greater risk when workers are exposed to hazards that they're not familiar with." Bunner says spring is also the time of year that many operations go through their greatest hiring efforts. These miners must undergo new miner training, and they are exposed from day one to new tasks and hazards. Bunner says that each operation is different, and each miner is different. And he has found a miner's age makes a difference in the way that person learns. "Younger workers learn better with interactive opportunities. Older workers do better in a classroom setting, where you provide examples," he notes. "Millennials want access to what's happening in the outside world concerning their jobs. I never would have thought that Twitter and Facebook would become part of the mining world, but they have." Education is key, but discipline also plays a part, he notes. "We have a strict discipline policy, with no ifs, ands, or buts if it is violated. If a worker violates lock-out-tag-out, he or she gets a minimum of three days off without pay. Discipline such as this puts workers on their guard for the next time. They think twice," says Bunner, adding that some safety violations may require retraining — or the employee may have to discuss the violation and what led up to it at a safety meeting. Bunner says he sums up most safe behavior with three basic tenets. 1. Workers must always be observant and look at conditions throughout their shifts — and not just because the law says so. Always look at the workplace and observe where there is room for improvement. 2. Conduct thorough pre-shift inspections prior to starting up any piece of equipment. 3. Evaluate each task before starting, asking, "What could go wrong?" "If you do those three things, you will get your biggest bang for your buck with safety," Bunner says. O n Feb. 25, 2015, MSHA held a stakeholder webinar meeting that discussed a new fatality reduction initiative for metal/ non-metal mines. The enforcement agency is focused on an upswing in fatalities in metal/non-metal between October 2013 and Jan. 26, 2015. "In line with MSHA's current focus on fatalities that have occurred in metal/non-metal over 16 months, they will begin stricter enforcement of the old 'Rules to Live By' program," says Joseph Casper, vice president of Safety Services for NSSGA. "Under this heavier enforcement, if they find certain facilities that have a higher number of citations against the Rules to Live By standards, those facilities will be subject to additional 'impact' or spot inspections. MSHA has also rolled out new online compliance monitor- ing tools that operators and miners can use to track their compliance history, and compare it against other mines." Casper says, while MSHA is an enforcement agency that must focus on conditions, the MSHA-NSSGA Alliance was established to forge a public/private partnership to encourage training and education that may help operators better safeguard workers. "NSSGA encourages education. And Joe Main (assistant secretary of labor for MSHA) has been traveling the country, talking to stakeholders about mine safety. Unfortunately, not all aggregates companies are members of NSSGA, so — depending on the facility — we may not be able to connect with every quarry to stress the importance of safety and compliance. "Accordingly, when Mr. Main or an MSHA inspector shares educational information and materials with a mine, they are some- times reaching an operation that we aren't reaching," Casper says. "This is a good thing." The best tool NSSGA has to encourage safe facilities, says Casper, is the Safety and Health Pledge, which calls for signers to commit their companies to helping the industry reduce its injury rate by 10 percent for five consecutive years. A majority of NSSGA member CEOs have signed the pledge. "No safety program will go far until workers realize that management is genuinely for it," Casper says. "A signed pledge shows that the CEO is supporting safety and health for that operation." He says that when a CEO then walks a plant in proper safety gear and is adhering to safe practices, the message is reinforced in a powerful manner. "Workers need to realize that management is not calling for shortcuts or higher production to save dollars at the risk of safety. Management must walk the walk, not just talk the talk," he adds. For companies that still might consider taking shortcuts to push production or lower costs, Casper says there is an additional consideration. "Taking into account the costs for non-compliance and incidents — MSHA citations, hospitalizations, worker's comp — it makes no sense to not be fully committed to safety in your operation."