Dryer Operator

An employee was in the process of removing a metal dumpster from the bottom floor of our truck unloading building using a hoist. When they removed the dumpster from the building the hand rail was not put back into position and the employee fell into the lifting bay of the hoist. Fall was approximately 37 feet to the bottom level.

Texto original en inglés de la MSHA

On Tuesday, August 20, 2019, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Thomas Flinspach, a 20-year-old Yardman/Laborer with less than 6 months of mining experience died when he fell 37 feet from an elevated work position. The victim was attempting to empty a waste bin at the top of the shaft in the grinder building when the accident occurred. The accident occurred because the waste bin dump safety procedures were not followed.

1. The waste bin dump safety procedures were not followed causing the safety gate, located at the top of the shaft, to be open when the accident occurred. Also, the miner did not use fall protection while working from an elevated position.

   Acción correctiva: The mine operator redesigned the equipment and process to eliminate exposure to the hoist shaft while this work is performed. The safety gate was replaced with a fixed handrail that doesn’t open. Also, the waste bin was replaced with a smaller waste bin. The trolley hoist now moves the smaller waste bin over the fixed handrail. Additionally, a switch at the top of the hoist shaft now controls the trolley hoist so miners will not be below a load while they operate the trolley hoist. This creates an engineered, fail-safe, control which prevents the need for the previous safety procedures while miners are performing this task.

Hallazgos del informe final de investigación de la MSHA, que sustituye la narrativa preliminar anterior.

Actividad al momento del incidente

Walking, Running

Subunidad / ubicación

MILL OPERATION/PREPARATION PLANT

Tipo de accidente

Caída a un nivel inferior, no clasificada en otra parte

Fuente de la lesión

ELEVATORS,CAGES,SKIPS,ETC

Naturaleza de la lesión

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Parte del cuerpo afectada

MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)

Experiencia minera total

0 years

Experiencia en esta mina

0 years

Experiencia en este puesto

0 years

Grado de la lesión

FATALITY