Maintenance Man

Employee was working with a 3 man crew dismantling a Caterpillar 390F Excavator. During dismantling, EE was impacted by the counterweight. The other 2 crew members did not witness the accident.

On December 16, 2022, at 4:29 p.m., Thomas Hild, a 26 year-old contract mechanic with over a year of mining experience, died while removing the counterweight from a hydraulic excavator. Hild was removing the last bolts from the counterweight while standing on the back step of a service truck when the counterweight fell and struck him. The accident occurred because the contractor did not: 1) provide task training on disassembling major components on a hydraulic excavator, and 2) block the equipment against hazardous motion.

1. The contractor did not provide task training on disassembling major components on a hydraulic excavator.

   Corrective action: The contractor will train all employees according to the training plan.

2. The contractor did not ensure that the equipment was blocked against hazardous motion.

   Corrective action: The contractor has held safety meetings with all miners to retrain them on their existing procedures and requirements regarding blocking equipment against hazardous motion.

Read the full report (PDF)

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

SURFACE MINING MACHINES

Nature of injury

MULTIPLE INJURIES

Body part affected

MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)

Total mining experience

1 year

Experience at this mine

1 year

Experience in this job

6 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY