Laborer

Miner was apparently adding oil to hoist of truck. Box was loaded with rock and not properly blocked. The weight of the loaded box split block and the box came down unexpectedly crushing miner between the truck frame and dump box. Although no damage was done to equipment, miner was killed.

Robert L. Irwin, Foreman, age 53, was killed at this operation on August 2, 2014. Irwin was working under the raised bed of a dump truck when a weathered block of wood supporting the load suddenly failed, allowing the bed to fall and pin him. No other miners were working at the mine on the day of the accident. Irwin was working alone and was not found until 10:00 a.m., on August 3, 2014. He was performing maintenance on the truck bed’s hydraulic lift system. The accident occurred due to management’s failure to establish procedures to ensure persons could safely perform maintenance on a truck bed in a raised position. The raised truck bed was not secured to prevent accidental lowering when the victim was performing maintenance. The victim was not instructed in the safety and health aspects and safe work procedures of the task of performing maintenance on the truck’s hydraulic lift system. Additionally, Irwin was assigned to perform work alone where hazardous conditions existed that would endanger his safety and he could not communicate with others, be heard, or be seen.

Findings from MSHA's final investigation report, which supersedes the preliminary narrative above.

Activity at time of incident

Machine Maintenance

Subunit / location

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Accident type

Struck by falling object

Source of injury

HGHWY ORE CARIER,LRGE TRK

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)

Total mining experience

28 years

Experience at this mine

28 years

Experience in this job

25 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY