Outside Foreman fatality at Broken Bow Sand & Gravel (Meridian Aggregates Company, A Limited Partnership), OK, May 23, 2012

Employee was operating an excavator between two small ponds when the ground beneath the excavator tracks failed and the excavator toppled into one of the ponds.

On May 23, 2012, John P. Scott, Foreman, age 36, was killed when the excavator he was operating overturned on a dike between two ponds. The ground beneath the excavator tracks failed and the excavator toppled into one of the ponds. The accident occurred due to management's failure to maintain safe access to the area where the victim intended to operate the excavator. Water had eroded the sandy soil dike on which the excavator operated causing the dike to fail under the weight of the excavator.

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

Activity at time of incident

Power Shovel, Dragline

Subunit / location

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Accident type

Drowning

Source of injury

WATER

Nature of injury

SUFFOC,SMOK INHILAT,DROWN

Body part affected

BODY SYSTEMS

Total mining experience

9 years

Experience at this mine

9 years

Experience in this job

0 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY

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