Prep Plant Foreman

Employee was looking into Pegson stone hopper when the missing excavator tooth was ejected striking employee in the head.

On August 5, 2013, Willard J. Moser, Plant Operator, age 55, was killed while standing near an operating cone crusher. When he looked into the cone crusher, a tooth, that had broken free from an excavator bucket, was ejected from the cone crusher and struck him. The accident occurred due to management’s failure to establish and implement policies and procedures to safely clear a cone crusher. There were no policies or procedures which should have included provisions to deenergize and lock out the power source; and block the cone crusher against hazardous motion. The cone crusher was not equipped with a guard, shield, or other device to protect miners from flying/falling materials created by its operation. Additionally, Moser did not receive task training addressing safe work procedures for clearing or dislodging material in a cone crusher and the potential hazards associated with the task.

1. Management failed to install a shield/guard at the cone crusher feed hopper to protect miners from falling/flying material generated by the operating crusher.

   Corrective action: Management installed guarding around the crusher feed hopper to protect miners and established policies and procedures to maintain the guarding.

2. The victim did not receive task training regarding procedures to clear or dislodge material from the cone crusher. Existing policies and procedures failed to ensure that miners stayed clear of an operating cone crusher, specifically during clearing and dislodging material.

   Corrective action: Management established written policies and safe work procedures for safely clearing and dislodging material to ensure that miners stayed clear of the operating cone crusher. The new procedures incorporate the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning/dislodging material. Miners were trained in the new policies and procedures.

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

Activity at time of incident

Crusher, Breaker

Subunit / location

STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT

Accident type

Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Source of injury

METAL,(Not Elsewhere Classified)(PIPE,WIRE,NAIL)

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

HEAD,NEC

Total mining experience

5 years

Experience at this mine

5 years

Experience in this job

5 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY