Mine Manager

Excavator was lifting plastic pipe when it fell and hit the victim.

On March 27, 2014, Robert J. Devich, Manager, age 64, was seriously injured when he was struck by an 8-inch diameter plastic slurry pipe that was being moved with an excavator. Devich was standing near the excavator when the unsecured pipe fell from the excavator bucket and struck him. Devich was hospitalized and died on March 30, 2014, as a result of his injuries. The accident occurred due to management’s failure to establish procedures to ensure the slurry pipe was secured before it was moved. Devich had not received adequate task training in safe operating procedures related to the assigned task as required. Additionally, Devich was not wearing a suitable hard hat in an area where falling objects created a hazard.

1. Management failed to establish procedures to ensure that persons could move the slurry pipe from place to place in a safe manner and failed to provide miners with adequate task training in safe operating procedures. During the process of moving the slurry pipe, it was not secured. The victim did not wear a hard hat in an area where falling objects created a hazard.

   Corrective action: Management developed written procedures to ensure that persons are protected when slurry pipes are moved. The procedures require that a suitable choker cable is used to secure the pipe and that persons stay clear of suspended loads and wear hard hats in areas where falling objects create a hazard. All persons were trained in these new procedures.

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

Activity at time of incident

Unknown

Subunit / location

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Accident type

Struck by falling object

Source of injury

RBR,GLS,PLSTC,FIBRGLS,FAB

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

HEAD,NEC

Total mining experience

32 years

Experience at this mine

32 years

Experience in this job

32 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY