Welder (Non-Shop)

An employee was fatally injured during maintenance work on the hopper. EE was operating a CAT forklift in close proximity to a Volvo excavator. EE exited the vehicle without notifying the other employees working in the area. Other employees stated they heard a "pop" and found the forklift operator unconscious next to the fork of the forklift.

On October 20, 2021, at approximately 9:35 a.m., Bonifacio Ibarra, a 50 year-old maintenance welder with nearly twelve years of mining experience, died when he was crushed between an excavator bucket and a telehandler. The accident occurred because the mine operator did not maintain the excavator in safe operating condition.

1. The mine operator did not maintain the excavator in safe operating condition.

   Corrective action: The mine operator examined all the excavators on the property to assure that they were in safe operating condition and retrained all of the employees on how to recognize defects and maintain excavators in safe operating condition.

Read the full report (PDF)

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 powered moving object

Source of injury

SURFACE MINING MACHINES

Nature of injury

CRUSHING

Body part affected

HEAD, MULTIPLE PARTS

Total mining experience

12 years

Experience at this mine

12 years

Experience in this job

20 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY