Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/661453
AGGREGATES MANAGER / April 2016 31 Coming spring and summer 2016: More attention to machinery and inspection hazards. Dana M. Svendsen is a member in Jackson Kelly PLLC's Denver office, practicing in the Occupa- tional Safety and Health Practice Group. She can be reached at 303-390-0011 or dmsvendsen@ jacksonkelly.com. Get Ready for MSHA's New Inspection Focus T he Mine Safety and Health Admin- istration (MSHA) recently reviewed the accidents and injuries which occurred in the metal/non-metal mining industry in the past five years and ob- served that 16 miners were killed in accidents involving machinery and non-haulage mobile and quarry equipment. Many more miners suffered serious injuries in these types of ac- cidents. As a result, MSHA issued an alert to all metal/non-metal mine operators. With the assistance of MSHA's Alliance partner, the Na- tional Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, MSHA and Neal Merrifield, administrator for Metal and Non-metal Mine Safety and Health, circulated a Machinery and Equipment Hazards alert in February 2016. The alert summarizes those fatal accidents which occurred under circumstances including: struck by machinery or non-haulage mobile and quarry equipment they or a co-worker were operating; drowning when the equip- ment overturned into water; and being caught in or between certain equipment such as crushers, drill steel, or reciprocating machin- ery. Of the 16 persons fatally injured, six were supervisors and three were contractors. The equipment involved represented a wide variety of mining equipment: drills, dozers, excavators, graders, dredges, and crushers. Mechanical equipment, tools, and other machinery also have the potential to pose several hazards to miners including: pinch points, wrap points, shear points, crush points, pull-in points, and the potential for objects to be thrown from the equipment. The alert reminds operators of some com- pliance requirements and offers a variety of common sense suggestions and best practices to help eliminate these types of accidents. • Operators should maintain control of mo- bile equipment while it is in motion and operate at speeds consistent with condi- tions of mine roadways, tracks, grades, clearance, visibility, and traffic. • When mobile equipment is not in motion, it must be stopped in a safe location and, when not attended, parked in a manner that prevents it from moving and becom- ing a hazard to the operator or other miners. • Mine supervisors and equipment opera- tors need to continuously monitor and maintain roadways and berms. • When operating excavators, position the equipment as far from any drop-offs as feasible on firm, stable ground. • Miners need to recognize work place hazards and stay clear of normal paths of travel for mobile equipment. • When planning for non-routine tasks, miners should conduct a risk analysis before starting the task to ensure that all hazards are evaluated and eliminated. • Equipment operators should always wear a seat belt when operating mobile equip- ment and should never jump from mobile equipment. by Dana M. Svendsen ROCKLAW