Steel Worker

Employee was changing a cable pulley that raised and lowered a load spout. While installing the new pulley, something broke. The cable struck the employee in the head area fatally injuring the employee. The investigation is still ongoing to determine the exact cause.

On August 9, 2016, Richard J. Snyder (age 33), was fatally injured while changing sheave wheels at a cascading barge loadout chute. The victim was positioned between slackened wire ropes and the chute when the chute dropped. This caused a loss of slack in the wire ropes, which pinned the victim against the chute. The accident occurred because the operator and contractor failed to ensure the chute was blocked against hazardous motion and the means used to raise the chute were beyond the manufacturer’s design capacity.

1. The operator and contractor failed to ensure miners were following proper procedures to block equipment against hazardous motion.

   Corrective action: The operator and contractor implemented a plan to ensure proper procedures are utilized to block equipment against hazardous motion and operator and contractor employees have been trained in this plan.

2. The means used to raise the chute were beyond the manufacturer’s design capacity.

   Corrective action: The operator and contractor provided training to operator and contractor employees regarding the proper steps and means, according to manufacturer’s design, for raising and lowering the chute system.

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

Activity at time of incident

Machine Maintenance

Subunit / location

MILL OPERATION/PREPARATION PLANT

Accident type

Struck by falling object

Source of injury

CHAIN,ROPE,CABLE-NT CONVY

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

HEAD,NEC

Total mining experience

4 years

Experience at this mine

3 years

Experience in this job

5 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY