Rotary Bucket Excavator Operator

Employee was operating an Excavator assisting Dozer operator in removing a big rock on the DC8A pit area. Excavator was between the rock and the top of highwall. Excavator went over the highwall ejecting the employee.

Texto original en inglés de la MSHA

On May 16, 2024, at approximately 2:15 a.m., Virgil Paynter, a 59 year-old contract excavator operator with ten weeks of mining experience, died after the excavator he was operating traveled over a highwall and fell 235 feet before coming to rest on top of spoil material in the pit below. Paynter was ejected from the operator’s cab during the fall. The accident occurred because the mine operator did not establish and follow a Ground Control Plan that insured safe working conditions.

1. The mine operator did not establish and follow a Ground Control Plan that insured safe working conditions.

   Acción correctiva: The mine operator revised its Ground Control Plan to include procedures to prevent a reoccurrence. The procedures include:

Lee el informe completo (PDF)

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

Actividad al momento del incidente

Power Shovel, Dragline

Subunidad / ubicación

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Tipo de accidente

Golpeado contra un objeto fijo

Fuente de la lesión

GROUND

Naturaleza de la lesión

UNCLASSIFIED,NOT DETERMED

Parte del cuerpo afectada

UNCLASSIFIED

Experiencia minera total

0 years

Experiencia en esta mina

0 years

Experiencia en este puesto

25 years

Grado de la lesión

FATALITY