Greaser

Placing a chute on a screen, the chute became lodged. The employee tried to dislodge the chute with a pry bar. EE was either hit by the chute or pry bar

Lee G. Mackay, a 56 year old Crusher Maintenance Mechanic, died on March 14, 2018, while helping install a discharge chute assembly on a vibrating screen deck. As a crane operator lowered the discharge chute assembly, it wedged between the surrounding steel structures. Mackay and another miner tried to pry the chute assembly loose, and the victim suffered a fatal head injury when the discharge chute assembly shifted. The accident occurred because management did not have policies, procedures and controls for persons installing and removing discharge chute assemblies on vibrating screen decks, including not working under suspended loads.

1. Management did not have policies, procedures and controls for miners removing and installing discharge chute assemblies, on vibrating screen decks.

   Corrective action: The company developed policies, procedures and new training materials for safely changing discharge chute assemblies. The workforce at the mine was retrained using the new policies, procedures and training materials, with additional emphasis on not working underneath suspended loads.

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 falling object

Source of injury

CHUTE & SLIDE-CONVYR HOPR

Nature of injury

CRUSHING

Body part affected

HEAD, MULTIPLE PARTS

Total mining experience

15 years

Experience at this mine

15 years

Experience in this job

15 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY