Electrician fatality at Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ, February 15, 1999

at 8:45 AM

On February 15, 1999, an electrician was fatally injured in a powered haulage accident at Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ.

Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc. · Surface · Metal/Non-Metal

Operator: Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc. (Phelps Dodge Corp)

Contractor on site: U40

Greenlee County, AZ

Classification POWERED HAULAGE

Type Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Investigator narrative

WHILE OPERATING A CHEVY PICKUP TRUCK, EE, A ROAD MACHINERY CO. EE, MOVED IN FRONT OF A PARKED 320 TON KOMATSU HAUL TRUCK. THE HAUL TRUCK, OPERATED BY A PHELPS DODGE EE PROCEEDED FORWARD, THE P ICKUP TRUCK WAS DESTROYED AND EE WAS FATALLY INJURED. EE WAS TRAINED HOW TO PROPERLY APPROACH A HAUL TRUCK AND WHERE BLIND SPOTS EXISTED IN AN OPERATOR'S FIELD OF VISION.

Record details

Activity at time of incident: Utility Truck, Water Trucks
Subunit / location: STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT
Accident type: Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Source of injury: PASS CARS,PICKUP TRUCKS
Nature of injury: CRUSHING
Body part affected: MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)
Total mining experience: 30 years
Experience at this mine: 1 year
Experience in this job: 30 years
Degree of injury: FATALITY

Related fatalities

Same operator

July 6, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ
January 28, 2022 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ
September 15, 2021 · Welder (Non-Shop) · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ
September 1, 2008 · Warehouseman · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ
December 20, 2002 · Warehouseman · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ

Same classification

July 6, 2026 · Utility Man · U.S. Lime Company-St. Clair, OK
July 6, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ
June 26, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Le Claire Investments Inc, IA
April 3, 2026 · Section Foreman · Ohio County Coal Resources, Inc., WV
January 8, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Ash Grove Cement South Texas LLC, TX

Same year

December 30, 1999 · Welder (Shop) · Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, LLC, KY
December 22, 1999 · Continuous Miner Operator · Canterbury Coal Company, PA
December 21, 1999 · Bulldozer Operator · Independance Construction Materials, PA
December 21, 1999 · Laborer · Sterling Materials, KY
December 17, 1999 · Continuous Miner Operator · Coastal Coal-West Virginia Llc, WV

Verify on MSHA

Every record on this page mirrors what MSHA publishes under its Open Government Data program, refreshed weekly. MSHA does not publish per-accident URLs (the Accidents data is distributed as a single bulk file), so this is how to retrieve the source for the specific record below:

Accident record: Download MSHA Accidents.zip then search for Document number 219990630001 (the unique key per MSHA Form 7000-1)
Mine record: MSHA Mine Data Retrieval System and search by Mine ID 0200024
All MSHA datasets: Open Government Data program directory covering Accident, Mines, Inspections, Violations, etc.

Source: US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) · Document 219990630001 · Mine ID 0200024 Trainer view →