Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing CompanyMining Incidents in 2008

3M front end loader operator was removing snow while plant was shut down. A Per Mar Security guard pulled up in a truck behind loader. Loader operator backed into truck. No injuries.

Our #11 baghouse bags started on fire. The fire went on for approximately 25 minutes. Once fire was put out it smoldered for another hour as fire crews tried to gain access to the inside of the baghouse. No employees were injured.

1 1b conveyor belt started on fire. Not sure of exact cause at this point. Belt stopped and motor kept running. Fire Dept was called. Fire lasted appoximatly 30 minutes. No one was injured or entrapped.

Employee was working in the security guard house when a spider fell on her. She knocked the spider off her head, but was bitten on the hand.

Miner was re-welding cracks on the rotex frames and at some point a piece of the metel got in his eye. He was not aware that this happened until he arrived at home and his eye started to bother him. He went to the ER and they took a small piece of metal out of his eye. He was wearing the proper PPE during the welding.

Mixing on side 2, slurry splashed up and got into the eye of the mixer operator.

Employee states he was trying to break a piece of aluminum. It had been raining and it was wet outside. He jumped onto the piece of aluminum and slipped. The result was a fall and a right broken hip. Surgery scheduled for 4/2/08.

employee was opening the covers of a DTS rail car to begin the cleaning process. He had finished opening the third cover and as he was stepping away from the cover , he slipped and fell on top of car. At the end of his shift he talked to me and stated that he was ""still a little sore"". Employee went to doctor on Friday and is off work til Wed

While pulling the hood open on the peterbuilt truck, felt a pain in his right shoulder. Hood was slightly stuck, so he pulled harder to get the hood open. Sent driver to to see nurse and recommended ice. Driver stated it is only 20 degrees outside, so every thing is pretty stiff on truck.

Employee reported he was walking down stairs and got to the bottom step and felt a pull in his middle back area. He fell against the wall and let himself to the floor.

Employee punched out from work. While driving home he left parking lot and was driving on paved quarry road. Almost hit deer and crashed bike. Employee suffered scrapes bruises to head face and arms and was brought to ER by ambulance. He returned to work on July1.

Mixer Operator was handling 50 Lbs of acti-min clay. He went grab another bag and felt something pull in his right shoulder. When he looked closer at the bag it appeared to be bigger than the others. The operator weighed the bag and discovered it had been over filled and weighed 74.6 pounds instead of the marked 50 pounds.

The employee saw her own doctor to investigate a sore shoulder that she thought might be related to sleeping. The doctor suggested that it might be related to work. When the employee heard that information, she remembered driving the secondary waste truck over unpaved roads at Greystone were particularly rough due to frost heaving. Workers comp has said it is work related now.

Employee reported 5 days later that his foot was swollen and black & blue, as he had a 50# steel column he was removing drop on the top of his foot.

While retrieving a pallet of chemical, an employee was backing up slowly with a forklift and struck an upright building support that was in his blind spot. The forklift came to an abrupt stop. The employee reports a burning pain across his lower back.

Carloader reported, that while closing the top cover of a railcar, he had sprained his middle finger on his right hand. He stated he was lifting the car cover with his left hand and he put out his right hand to push against the loading spout. He jammed his middle finger against the spout.

Employee reported numbness and tingling in right arm, and pain in right wrist.

Employee was cleaning around Tycan screener and got dirt in his eyes.

EE was working on elevator head pulley and when he walked around the back of the elevator he caught his shoe on the elevator door.

Driver was getting out of truck and slipped. He grabbed on to the handle on outside of vehicle with left hand to prevent falling. Employee heard pop in left shoulder. Strained left shoulder.

Assistant carloader reported to me on 3/13 he had sore back/hurt back. On first report of injury emp. listed incident date as 3/10 and reported injury on 3/12. Employee felt it was from opening and closing railcar lids overtime repetitive.

Employee was carrying two 1 gallon buckets down stairs and slipped and fell on last step which had some oil on it. Employee fell and landed on his low back.

While employee was loading 100# propane cylinder tank slipped and tipped over on loader bucket. Employee smashed right ring finger between tank and loader bucket. Employee went to walk in. Had broken finger on x-ray.

Injured party was in a Per Mar Security Company Vehicle and was parked, a Front End Loader that was plowing snow backed up and crushed the front end of the truck while he was in the truck. Large piles of snow were in the area making visual difficult for the front end loader.

While performing checks on thermocouples outside on double dump platform, employee felt something in his right eye. He thought that he was able to get it out immediately. Later that night and early the next morning the eye became irritated. Employee called his supervisor and went to his eye doctor.

While drilling a hole in no. 2 oil tank cover with a milwaukee 1/2 inch drill. The bit caught and the drill spun causing strain on left thumb.

WHILE MOVING RAIL CARS TO DERAIL AT 2130, MATERIAL HANDLER TWISTED HIS RIGHT ANKLE AS HE WENT TO SET THE RAILWHEEL CHOCK ON THE RAIL. MATERIAL HANDLER SAID THAT THE GROUND WAS SOFT AND GAVE WAY AS HE STEPPED FORWARD. MATERIAL HANDLER REPORTED THAT HIS ANKLE WAS SORE. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE CLINIC FOR EVALUATION. MATERIAL HANDLER WAS SEEN BY PHYSICIAN AND PRESCRIBED 550MG NAPROXEN.

Employee performed unsafe act trying to jam socket on drill by pushing down on floor, socket slipped, exposing ring finger which was lacerated in the process. Employee was taken to emergency room to receive 6 stitches & immediately after returned to work regular duty, lead doing paperwork.

Employee was lifting a bag of pigments and grabbed it by the top corners and it slipped out of his right hand and the weight transferred to the left hand and he twisted his left wrist.

Employee was walking and tripped on metal guard from concrete. Employee fell and hit mouth on railing, caused a cut on lip and broken tooth.

Employee was cleaning out small storage building outside, in drum storage area. Employee opened doors to shed and reached in 2 times to move drums, the third time he reached in, he was stung by a wasp. Stung on right elbow. Employee is allergic to bee stings. Self administered antidote and was transported to hospital for further treatment.

Maintenance employee was attempting to position a new chute that was connected to a chainfall by way of a padeye. He applied force in a cross direction to align the chute and the weld failed on the padeye. The chainfall buckle and padeye came back and struck the employee in the forehead causing a laceration.

While making a batch the Mixer Operator went to open the slide on the #14 Conveyor and cut his left hand on the conveyor cover. The operator was not wearing gloves. There was a shop work order written to install rubber around the edge to prevent future incidents, this was completed that same night. The operator received 2 stitches

While working in bagging, operator cut the banding on a new pallet of minibags. He tried to rip the banding out from underneath the pallet. The banding splice hung up on the pallet, and caused injury to the operators shoulder. Operator is going to be taken to the clinic for examination.

Employee was cutting used mantel steel off with a plasma torch. Employee doesn't know at what point in the cut, that the eye felt like something was in it. Employee was wearing safety glasses and welding helmet at the time. At time employee did not go to doctor. Several days later he did. Was given eye drops

Employee experienced an average of 25 decible shift greater than last baseline

Employee was diagnosed with Carpal tunnel several years ago (10+) Most recently in Dec. 2008 he reported pain using a 1"" impact wrench to adjust the trunions on the dryer during a pinion chan ge. The job required him to use the impact wrench for 3-5 minutes at a time on and of for about 1/2 hour. Now he is going out for surgery.

Employee had a hearing shift.

Employee alledges that gripping shovel handle, broom handle and small air hose caused pain in left hand.

Employee was working in Shipping department and felt weak and tired. Asked to go to hospital. Diagnosed and dehydrated and suffering from Heat exhaustion. Work area or work load was not any different then normal. Was given fluid through IV and released.

Standard Threshold Shift in hearing of the left ear. Doctor requested second test to confirm STS. Employee has exposure as a miner for over 29 years.

During normal daily maintenance activities, employee felt pain with lifting left arm in upright position; fully extended. Employee uses impact guns, wrenches when using hands squeezing and gripping devices. Pain is in left elbow, lateral to medial aspect. This seems to be cummulative/repetitive injury. Employee just went to doctor and reported on 03/05/2008.

At 0700 the EE was found laying on the floor in the control room in Building 12 unresponsive. The supervisor on shift was notified as well as 911. The EE was transported to the hospital and later relaeased (same day) and returned to full duty next day with no restrictions. Employee has pre-existing, non work related illness.