Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver

CEMEX loader opr was moving flyash from mat'l storage bldg to hopper. Raw mat'l del driver, ind. o/o contracted w/ Tri-State Carriers(TSC), entered mat'l storage area & exited his tractor, preparing to unload. Loader reversed to get another load & impacted the tractor, striking the driver. MSHA issued Contr ID B0350 to TSC under protest as it is not a contr on CEMEX mine site.

Ismael Santana, Contract Truck Driver, age 51, was killed on July 23, 2014, when he was struck and pinned between his haul truck and a front-end loader. Santana drove the haul truck to the fly ash dumping point at the materials storage building. Santana exited the haul truck, preparing to untarp the truck’s trailer, when the front-end loader backed down a ramp from a nearby hopper and struck and pinned him against the truck. The accident occurred because management failed to ensure that the operator of the front-end loader maintained control of the loader at all times, specifically while other equipment traveled in the same area. No safe operating procedures had been established to ensure communications between the incoming truck drivers and the front-end loader operators. Additionally, site-specific hazard awareness training had not been provided to Santana regarding the delivery and unloading of the fly ash material.

1. Management failed to ensure the operator of the front-end loader maintained control of the loader at all times while the loader was in operation, specifically while haul trucks were unloading raw materials at the materials storage building. No safe operating procedures had been established to ensure communications between the incoming truck drivers and the front-end loader operators.

   Corrective action: Management established safe operating procedures for mobile equipment operators and incoming haul truck drivers bringing raw materials to the materials storage building. The procedures include the use of hand held radios for communication between the front-end loader operator and the haul truck drivers. Cameras and sensors will be installed on the front-end loaders. All mobile equipment operators and haul truck drivers were instructed in these safe operating procedures.

2. Management did not ensure that site-specific hazard awareness training was provided for contract truck drivers, including the victim, delivering raw materials to the plant.

   Corrective action: Management established safe operating procedures for mobile equipment operators and incoming haul truck drivers bringing raw materials to the materials storage building. All haul truck drivers were provided site-specific hazard awareness training which included these safe operating procedures.

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

Activity at time of incident

Getting On Or Off Equipment

Subunit / location

MILL OPERATION/PREPARATION PLANT

Accident type

Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Source of injury

SURFACE MINING MACHINES

Nature of injury

CRUSHING

Body part affected

TRUNK, MULTIPLE PARTS

Total mining experience

13 years

Experience at this mine

10 years

Experience in this job

13 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY