Blue Mountain Mine & Mill: 249 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Cut index finger on left hand.

Employee was dismounting a lift truck and strained lower right back.

Employee was cleaning out a chute going into a mill and strained EE's right shoulder.

Employee was replacing C29 conveyor belt and while pulling new belt into place he felt a pull in lower back. Lumber back strain.

Putting bag on a bagging machine and filling tube on bagger cut his index finger on right hand requiring stitches.

Employee was bending used elevator bucket on table when he hit his left index finger with shop hammer. Cracked bone on left index finger.

Employee lifted a 5hp electric motor and walked over to put it on the maintenance shop work bench when his lower right side and back stated hurting. Carried employee to a doctor and he said he had a pulled muscle in lower right back.

Lift truck operator was driving lift in reverse and hit employee foot. Right foot of employee was hit by back of lift truck. Fracture of bones to toe on right foot.

Employee slipped and fell hurting left arm.

Employee was bending over to tie a band around some flexible pipe in a storage room and pulled a muscle in lower left side of his back.

Employee was operating a dozer on a steep hill and ridges and was in a straining position most of the day. After which he had severe pain where left shoulder touches upper back and inside and down left arm with some tingling in hand.

Railroad crossing at Blue Mountain pit has become rough. Employee was driving a haul truck and he said when he went across railroad tracks he felt his back pop.

EE had been working on a steel dock plate which was up on horses being repaired. He picked up on one side of the plate to reposition it and felt a sharp pain in his lower back, right side.

Pulled ligament in right wrist while lifting a fire hose box.

Strained muscles while attempting to loosen hex nuts.

EE ADJUSTED BELT TENSION ON BELT CONVEYOR AND WAS MONITORING ADJUSTMENTS WHILE CONVEYOR WAS RUNNING. HE REACHED UNDER THE BELT AND PUSHED ON IT TO CHECK TENSION. BELT LACING CAUGHT GLOVE AND PULLED HAND/ARM INTO IDLER PULLER. BRUISED RIGHT ARM ABOVE WRIST AREA.

WORKER WAS SETTING UP PACKAGING LINE & BUILDING BOXES. WALKED BACKWARDS TO SET BOX DOWN AND TRIPPED OVER PALLET. LT. FOOT WENT BETWEEN BOARDS INPALLET AND SPRAINED/BRUISED FOOT. WORKER THOUGHT FOOT WAS ALRIGHT BUT SWELLING DID NOT GO DOWN- WENT TO CLINIC ON 3-13-02.

EMPLOYEE WAS LOADING CUSTOMER'S TRUCK/ TRAILER WITH PRODUCT USING A FORKLIFT. WHITE POWDER (UNKNOWN ORIGIN) ON THE TRAILER FLOOR WAS BLOWN AND INHALED BY EMPLOYEE WHILE LOADING TRAILER.

EE WAS CLEANING OUT HOPPER USING A LONG ROD THRUTHE TOP OF HOPPER GUARD. MATERIAL BROKE LOOSE CAUSING HIM TO STRIKE LEFT HAND ON TOP OF METAL HOPPER GUARD.

EE TURNED TO PICK UP EMPTY BOX FROM FLOOR AND TWISTED BACK/PULLED MUSCLE. INJURY RESULTED FROM IMPROPER LIFTING PRACTICES. RETRAINED EE ON PROPER LIFTING TO PREVENT FUTURE OCCURENCE.

EE WAS ROTATING WITCH GATE SPRING LOADED ON METAL PIPE CHUTE. WHEN SPRING GATE SWITCHED, EE STRUCK HAND ON METAL RESULTING IN SOFT TISSUE BRUISE TO RIGHT HAND. HAVE INSTALLED HANDLE EXTENSION ON SWITCH GATE TO PREVENT FUTURE OCCURENCE.

WHILE REMOVING AUGER SECTION FROM EXPLORATION TRUCK, THE DRILL BIT WAS INADVERTENTLY SET ON STEEL TOED SHOE. THE DRILL BIT SLID ACROSS THE SHOE TO THE END OF THE PROTECTIVE TOE CAP AND BROKE T HE BIG TOE ON THE LEFT FOOT.

3 EES WERE PULLING AN EMPTY RAILCAR WITH A FRONT END LOADER. THE INJURED EE THOUGHT THE CAR WAS MOVING TOO FAST SO HE ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB ON THE SIDE LADDER WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. HE GRAB BED HOLD OF THE LADDER WITH HIS RIGHT HAND, BUT MISSED THE BOTTOM STEP WITH HIS FOOT. THIS RESULTED IN EXCESS WEIGHT ON HIS SHOULDER & CAUSED A STRAIN TO HIS RIGHT SHOULDER, BICEPS, & ELBOW.

EMPLOYEE WAS MOVING A STEEL BEM. THE WIND BLEW A PIECE OF RUST UNDER HIS SAFETY GLASSES AND INTO HIS LEFT EYE. HE WENT HOME WITHOUT REPORTING IT OR RECEIVING FIRST AID. THE ENXT DAY HE WENT TO AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST WHO REMOVED THE RUST THAT HAD BECOME EMBEDDED IN THE EYE.

EMPLOYEE WAS INSTALLING A TRANSMISSION IN A HAULTRUCK. HE WAS UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK. HE CRAWLED OUT FROM UNDER THE TRUCK AND WHEN HE STOOD UP, HIS RIGHT KNEE GAVE OUT. THE CARTILAGE WAS TORN.

BAG JAMMED IN THE SIDE BELTS ON 25# LINE. WHILE PULLING THE BAG OUT, THE BAG TORE INTO. HIS HAND FEWL BACK, HITTING STATIONARY PIECE OF METAL, CUTTING HIS RIGHT WRIST.

EMPLOYEE WAS CLEANING UP AT END OF THE DAY HE WAS SWEEPING UNDERNEATH A CONVEYOR WHEN HE STSRAIGHTENED UP HE FELT HIS BACK POP HE WENT TO THE DOC & WAS TOLD HE HAD PULLED A MUSCLE HE CAME TO W ORK THE NEXT MORNING BUT RETURNED TO DOC AT APPR8:30AM HE WAS TOLD HE COULD NOT RETURN TO WORK UNTIL 08-12-91

EMPLOYEE WAS GOING UP THE STAIRS TO THE HAMMERMILL. HE WAS ABOUT 3 OR 4 STEPS FROM THE TOP. HIS FEET WERE MUDDY. AS HE PUT HIS RT. FOOT ON THE STEP, IT SLIPPED. THE EMPLOYEE HAD STARTED UP WIT H HIS LEFT FOOT AND IT WENT NO WHERE. HE TRIED TO CATCH HIMSELF WITH HIS ARMS, BUT HIS CHIN HIT THE UPPER STEP FIRST.

I WAS MAKING MY ROUNDS THRU THE PLANT. AS I WALKED UNDER THE STEEL BELT CONVEYOR, I FELT SOMETHING IN MY LEFT EYE. THERE WAS NO WIND. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST DUST IN MY EYE. I TRIED WA SHING MY EYE OUT BUT WAS UNSCESSFUL. I WENT TO THE DR AT 300 P.M. THE DR REMOVED A PIECE OF STEEL FROM EYE.

EMPLOYEE WAS DESCENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK HIS LEFT FOOT LODGED BETWEEN THE COLUMN FLANGES THUS TWISTING HIS LEFT K NEE.

THE UPPER SECTION OF AN EXTENSION LADDER WAS NOT LOCKED.EMPLOYEE WAS PREPARING TO SCALE LADDER WHEN UPPER PORTION SLIPPED DOWN ALONG LOWER SECTION.EMPLOYEE WAS STRUCK ON LITTLE TOE OF LEFT FOO T BY FALLING PORTION OF LADDER.EMPLOYEE SUFFERED LACERATIONS TO AFFECTED TOE.

EMPLOYEE WAS GATHERING TOOLS AT END OF SHIFT. HE PICKED UP SAFETY BELT AND SWUNG IT UP ON HIS SHOULDER BUCKLE OF BELT HIT EMPLOYEE'S LEFT EYE. EMPLOYEE SUFFERED SWELLING TO LEFT EYE AREA.

EMPLOYEE WAS PUTTING BAGS OF PET LITTER IN BALER BAGS. AS HEREACHED TO GET A BAG AND PUT IT IN THE BALER. HIS MIDDLE FINGER POPPED. IT STRAINED THE LIGAMENTS IN HIS FINGER.

EMPLOYEE WAS PUTTING TWO SECTIONS CULVERT PIPE TOGETHER. HE SLIPPED THE CONNECTING BAND ON ONE END OF THE CULVERT SECTION. THE BAND WAS INTENTIONALLY SPRUNG OPEN TO ALLOW OVERLAP OF THE RIBS AS THE EMPLOYEE PUSHED ON THE EDGE OF THE BAND, IT SPRUNG CLOSED AND PINCHED THE EDGE OF HIS PICKY FINGER BETWEEN THE EDGE OF THE CONNECTING BAND AND THE EDGE OFTHE CULVERT SECTION.

EMPLOYEE WAS REPLACING A HOOD ON AN OUT SIDE CONVEYOR SYSTEM WHILE REMOVING THE HOOD THE WIND BELEW A TINY METAL FLAKE IN HIS LEFT EYE

THE EMPLOYEE WAS STACKING A PALLET OF 5-10# BALERS ON THE SMALL LINE. WHEN THE EMPLOYEE WENT TO LIFT THE BALER UP HE STRAINED THE TENDONS IN HIS RIGHT ARM NEAR HIS ELBOW.

EMP WAS ATTEMPT3NG TO ROLL A PIECE OF MESH WIRE AROUND TWO CIRCLES OF METAL. AS EMP ROLLED METAL A WEAK SEAM JUMPED UP ALONG THE RIGHT EDGE OF THE MESH WIRE. AS THE EMP MOVED HIS HAND BACK T TOWARD HIS BODY3THE SHARP SLITHER CUT HIS RT HAND. IT REQUIRED 3 STITCHES

AS EMPLOYEE WAS3GETTING OUT OF HIS DUMP TRUCK, HIS RIGHT FOOT LANDED ON THE EDGE OF A WOODEN BLOCK 2 X 6 X 12 INCH CAUSED HIS RIGHT ANKLE TO BEND FORWARD AND THIS ACTION RESULTED IN THE SPRAIN ING OF EMPLOYEE8 RIGHT ANKLE. NOTE WOODEN BLOCKS ARE USED TO CHOCK PARKED DUMP TRUCKS.

EMPLOYEE WAS LI0TING A SHEET OF PLYWOOD OVER HIS H EAD TO FELLOW EMPLOYEES. AS THE EMPLOYEES ABOVE PULLED THE PLYWOOD UP AND OVER THE HAND RAIL, SAID EMPLOYEE WAS TRYING TO HELP BLANCE THE PLY WOOD,THUS STRAI3ING A MUSCLE IN HIS RIGHT UPPER QUADRANT.

ON 10-8-86 AT 10:45AM I.NAME WASS WORKING ON T HE 25# LINE WITH I.NAME. THEY WERE TO FINISH A ROUND I.NAME HAD STARTED WALKING BACK AROUND THE TABLE & AS HE WAS REACHING FOR CARDBOARD TO PUT ON PALLET HE WA8 BUMPED BY THE L IFT TRUCK OP WHO WAS DOUBLE STACKING A PALLET OF PRODUCT. I.NAME STATED HE WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE PALLET & TURN TABLE.

EMPLOYEE WAS LOADING 50LB BAGS IN BOXCAR HE ENTERED CAR & POSITIONED HIS TOWMOTOR HE DISMOUNTED ON LEFT SIDE PRODUCT WAS STACKED 9HIGH HE PUT HIS LEFT HAND ON BOXCAR WALL & HIS RT HAND ON PAL LET OF PRODUCT TO BE UNLOADED & CLIMBED UP TO TOP OF 9 HIGH STACK HE LOST HIS BALANCE & FELL BACKWARDS HE LANDED ON BOXCAR FLOOR MORE ON LEFT SIDE OF HIS LOWER BACK

WORKER WAS SITTING ON TOP OF ROPS ON CAT FORKLIFT WHEN DECENDING EMP PLACED LEFT HAND BETWEEN THE GUIDE PIN AND CYLINDER CAP THE WORKERS FOOT HIT THE LIFT CONTROL THE MAST CAP MOVED UP AND MASHED HIS FINGERS