Maintenance Man

May 9, 2024 at 0800 hours when a manlift operator ran EE's manlift, an 8008 JLG, serial number 0300310942, into the canopy covering the C35 conveyor belt coming out of C35 tunnel. The operator was pinned between the roof edge and the man basket hand rail.

On May 9, 2024, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Francisco Contreras, a 62 year-old maintenance worker with 23 years of mining experience, was fatally injured when he was pinned between a belt conveyor tunnel structure’s roof and a personnel lift’s basket. Contreras was operating the personnel lift in reverse from within the personnel lift’s basket. The accident occurred because the mine operator did not ensure the miner maintained control of the personnel lift while approaching the C-35 belt conveyor tunnel structure.

1. The mine operator did not ensure that the miner maintained control of the personnel lift while approaching the C-35 belt conveyor tunnel structure.

   Corrective action: The mine operator developed and implemented a new written procedure for operating personnel lifts. The procedure includes:

Read the full report (PDF)

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

Activity at time of incident

Surface Equipment, Nec

Subunit / location

MILL OPERATION/PREPARATION PLANT

Accident type

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

Source of injury

HOISTING APPARATUS,(Not Elsewhere Classified)

Nature of injury

CRUSHING

Body part affected

MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)

Total mining experience

23 years

Experience at this mine

23 years

Experience in this job

10 years

Degree of injury

FATALITY