Newmont USA LimitedMining Incidents in 2011

At 6:13 p.m., miners were being transported on the service cage from underground to the surface for the end of the scheduled shift when the hoist tripped, making the cage stop. A total of 59 employees were confirmed on the cage when the event occurred.

The hoist tripped out and could not be reset. Seventeen miners were trapped on the service cage for over thirty minutes.

While using a burning bar to remove the first liner in the last row of the concave, slag fell through to the surge pocket. Lube lines below the concave and pinion were covered with belting for protection. Slag fell directly onto the protective belting and ignited the rubber. Damage was minimal due to placement of the protective belting over lube hoses.

While placing a bushing into the table on an angle hole the bushing slipped down and the employee's middle and ring fingers went between the bushing and the table. The driller activated the hydraulic cylinder to close the table and pinched the employee's fingers amputating the tips.

Walking surface was covered with frost when employee attempted to jump across lined ditch. Suffered injury to right ankle.

The employee was climbing from the feed chute when he grabbed the air hose attached to a 3/4"" impact gun the impact gun fell on his left index finger causing bleeding and a Distal Phalange fracture on the left index finger. The employee did not seek medical Treatment until 11/10/11 where the finger was diagnosis as a distal phalange fracture

Employee was standing at the face of a drift when a rock fell from the edge of the wire about the size of a softball striking him on top of the hard hat. It resulted in some muscle/ nerve inflammation.

The injury result of the leg on a jackleg drill kicking out which caused the leg handle to strike the drill operator in the knee. The drill operator cont. to work through shift and the following shift at the end of which he was limping and said knee was getting stiff. It was recom. that he stay off his feet and see a Dr. the following Monday if no improvement.

Employee reported a swollen right knee near the end of his shift on 5/10/2011. He had been performing electrical work and had to work on his knees (with knee pads) for periods of time. He was diagnosed with bursitis.

While mounting a ""CAUTION - Buried Cable"" sign on the main power disconnect, a mounting screw came into contact with energized conductors and an ARC Flash occurred.

While mounting a ""CAUTION - Buried Cable"" sign on the main power disconnect, a mounting screw came into contact with energized conductors and an ARC Flash occurred.

While working on a rubber tire dozer I stepped from the top of the transmission platform to the left side deck. When the employee placed his right foot down he twisted his knee & fell down on the deck. The employee continue to work and did not want to seek medical attention. 2 week later DR appt employee was given a full duty release, after several visits & MRI need surgery.

Employee was placing a 60lb Pemco electrical box into the bed of a pickup when it slipped pinching his finger between the box and the truck bed. This resulted in a fractured left middle finger and 8 sutures.

Employee reached into a hole to remove a blockage, in the course of pulling the rock out, felt his wrist pop.

Employees were emptying a waste flow bin. The gate stuck on the chute and had to use a come along. The bin shifted, and the employee released the tension on the come along and lifted the bin up slightly with the crane. The bin started to swing and the employee on the other side tried to stop it and got his left arm caught between the bin and a support post.

Miner stepped off bolter facing out and slipped injuring his back. The injury did not become reportable until 4/19/11 when he was placed on restricted duty.

Employee was boarding haul truck and felt a pop in right wrist. This was a questionable case and it was determined by our Occ. Doctor on 7/12/10 to be work related.

EE injured right shoulder on 3/25/11 swinging a hammer was evaluated by doctor and returned to full duty. Employee experiencing pain in right shoulder and was re-evaluated on 5/23/11. Employee received MRI and referred to orthopedic specialist. Evaluated by specialist on 6/9/11. Employee received surgical repair to right shoulder on 7/5/11 and his first missed shift was 7/8/11.

Felt slight pain in lower back after maneuvering wear edge during bucket repair on loader.

Crew was tripping out pipe when the jib boom arm broke and fell fracturing employee's left femur and ribs.

Driver unloaded product hose to start unloading crushed lime, he was connecting 4 inch cam lock fitting to silo and his back started hurting. He was able to stand up with help holding on to silo leg. Mine EMT checked him out and sent to ER. The e.r. doctor said it was muscle spasms and gave him a muscle relaxer and 24hrs bed rest with a follow up visit on the 24th.

Employee was shoveling out sump pump area in the basement of the secondary crusher building. The shovel hit a harder section of mud. The employees hand slipped from the back of the shovel jarring the wrist. While dumping the mud from the shovel the employee heard felt a subsequent pop in the same left wrist.

Employee was walking and fell to the ground injuring her back. This event became reportable 06/07/11.

Employee was hanging pipe in a sill and lost his footing and fell to the ground and sprained his left wrist and dislocated his right little finger when he tried to break the fall.

The employee's finger was pinched between the toe board on the Galloway and a block that was used to steady the Galloway. The wound required sutures to close.

Employee was accessing the first rung on the ladder of a grader when he felt a pop in his knee.

Removed radiator cap, sprayed hot fluid causing him to fall off truck, fracturing his left wrist.

Employee was descending down a surface loader ladder and missed the bottom step; falling to ground. The fall resulted in a minor separated shoulder which required restricted duty for three shifts and immobilization device for two days.

While employee was disconnecting slings from a bin a forklift bumped the bin causing the employee's left index finger to be pinched between the shackle and the bin.

Employee was removing a hydraulic fitting from a loader. When the fitting broke loose, his left wrist made contact with the loader tire, resulting in a fractured wrist.

Employee was collaring a hole with a jack leg drill and lost control of the drill and got his right thumb pinched in the chuck tender, which required sutures.

Employee was re-positioning a jack leg drill during set-up and the drill got away from him and pinched his left middle finger between the drill and the rib causing a laceration on the under side of his finger requiring sutures.

Employee bumped elbow when wrench slipped off drain plug for front differential causing employee to hit elbow on the inside of tire rim.

While removing the rotation barrier from the table the employee reached over the work deck and was fully extended when he tried to lift the 25lb barrier. He experienced lower back pain.

EE accessing pond with a rope for balance, slipped twisting ankle. The pond is slopped properly for access/egress but lined with a plastic liner.

Employee was putting a hydraulic hose back into the hose reel and it went too fast and as he tried to stop it he twisted his back causing muscle spasms in lower right side of back.

Step off pick-up truck bed and sprained ankle.

Employee was moving 3/16"" plate off of a forklift and strained his lower back. Employee was on light restricted duty on 6/28 and 6/29, with a full duty release on 6/30.

Employee was attempting to connect a nip and was having difficulties. Employee requested assistance from his partner. Both employees worked the nip to get it connected. When the nip spun together employee felt a pop in his left arm. Employee complained of numbness in the left arm and had difficulty moving his ring and little finger on his left hand.

Two employees were in the process of moving a long hole drill. The victim got his left index finger pinched between the back of the 2-yd loader and the tow bar. This avulsed the very tip of the finger and fingernail and fractured the tip of the finger.

Employee was unloading a bundle of drill steel from the cage. The bundle was place next to the rib with the forklift. The bundle was not sitting square on the pallet, so the employee grabbed one end to move it closer to the rib. As he lifted the bundle and began to push it toward the rib, he felt a pain in his shoulder.

Employee was lifting the landing plate with the driller helpers when he felt pain in his abdomen. It progressed to pain in his groin. He continued to work and saw a doctor on June 2, 2011. He originally received a full release but was later re-evaluated and placed on restricted duty.

Employee was servicing a mobile crane on the apron and felt pain in his back while lying underneath the rear differentials.

While on a transducer well the small casing (2 1/2"") got hung in the hole. A pipe wrench was placed above the driller's hand to help turn the casing past the hang-up and when the casing fell through the driller's hand was in a pinch point between the pipe wrench and the table of the drill.

Employee was stepping on to a ladder, missed the bottom rung on ladder causing him to fall backward. He reached out to grab the ladder with his right arm and injured his right arm.

Employee was de-scaling a deariator tank and a piece of scale broke off and hit the ladder slightly and moved it. employees reacted and grabbed onto the baffle, moving his body in the opposite way and dislocated his right shoulder. Classified as of 5/12/11 as restricted duty.

Removed radiator cap and hot cooling fluid sprayed arm. resulting in restricted duty.

Employee was moving utilities. When he was moving vent bag, he tripped and twisted his knee.

The employee was changing the die on a hose machine appeared to have his foot in the foot pedal, while he was using his right hand to place the die in the machine. Because of his foot being in the pedal, the hose machine started up causing his right hand to be injured in the process.

Employee was removing sample bags from sample bin and felt a pop in right shoulder.

Was adjusting forks on forklift when he placed his right hand between the fork and frame. The fork crushed his finger, fracture it.

Employee was loading lumber into the back of a pickup when he felt a pain in this right arm. Employee placed on restricted duty.

Miner was bolting with a jackleg when his wrist started hurting. He handed machine off to his partner. He bolted back and rib after a break and finished his shift. His arm was stiff at the end of the shift when he asked to have it looked at.

Hanging chock blocks on chock holder. Employees left thumb got caught between the chain attached to the chock blocks and the chock holder resulting in a fracture to left thumb. Employee placed on restricted duty.

Employee was walking on a lowboy loading ramp and slipped, falling onto the ramp. Employee put his arm out to stop his fall and strained his shoulder. Placed on restricted duty 1-25-11 per Dr.

The miner observed that water/steam was coming out of the top of the Radiator from under the Radiator cap as well as the overflow on LHD Company #61. The Miner then placed his right hand on top of the cap to tighten it. The cap came off scalding the Miner's right/ left hand and right arm. The miner received 1st & 2nd degree burns to include restricted duty as of 01/10/2011.

Employee was hand mucking the agg bin sump and pushing the wheel barrel to dump. He said that his lower back was hurting and had a little shoulder pain. This was not reported until the next shift.

While dumping bar molds out employee pinched left hand between bar mold and top of quench cart.

Employee was removing a nut from bolt with a 3\4 impact gun while removing cutting edges on LD138. He was holding the bolt head with his left hand. When the bolt became unseated it started to spin and cut his left hand. Transported to medical facility and employee received sutures to the hand.

Employee was struck in the cheek with a punch causing a laceration to the cheek that required 7 stitches.

Employee was brushing off pants, a knife that had the blade open was in his pants pocket and the employee ran his right hand over the blade, causing a laceration to the right hand.

Worker was helping change GET (loader tooth) on a Cat 992G loader (Unit #91493). While attempting to fit the tooth onto the adapter, it slipped, pinching the tip of his left index finger. The worker suffered a laceration to the tip of his finger which required five (5) stitches.

Employee was putting Core sample tube on tube rack, caught end of left ring finger between tube and tube rack.

Employee was tightening bearing bolt on ventilation fan. Employee's hand slipped from Torcwrench handle spun around and hit him in the face below the mouth.

Electrician has unwiring 630PP04 Pump motor so pump could be removed from service while cutting the electrical tape from the power supply wire the razor knife stabbed through the tape cutting through his gloves and into the pad of the first joint of his right middle finger.

The injured employee asked another employee who was working in a Skyjack, +/- 12 feet in the air, to pass him a wrench. When the employee dropped the wrench, the employee on the ground missed it. When the wrench hit the ground the socket popped off and struck the employee in the mouth. Chipping his #7 and #8 teeth. The teeth were repaired with a filling.

While moving wear iron around in the back of FR393 service truck the mechanic got his ring finger on his left hand pinched between the iron and the left side of the bed.

Employee was loading supplies on a kubota tractor. While loading, wire panels were hooked together. The employee tried to separate them and the corner of the wire rebounded and hit the employee in the glasses causing the shield to lacerate the forehead above the left eye.

On 11/01/2011, employee hit a cut bolt with a hammer causing a metal sliver to shear off. The sliver entered the employee's upper lip. Employee did not wish to have sliver removed at the time. The employee then found that an unrelated non-occupational procedure would not be possible with the sliver in place. The employee had the sliver removed on 11/09/2012.

Crew was tripping back into the drill hole with 5.5 pipe, it was the start of a new row on the pipe truck. Helper went to pull the pipe back to line it up with the tilting top-head on the T130 rig; causing the J-Hook to come out of the slot on the pipe and the pipe fell back to the bed of the pipe truck where it struck the employee on top of the left foot.

Employee was trapped by a rock for approximatley three hours, MSHA was notified of the entrapment immediately. Medical treatment rendered was limited to pain management and observation for a contusion. Employee was removing rock from jaw crusher that wouldn't crush, as he stood on the rock, it rolled onto his right ankle pinning him.

The operator of a service truck was driving up the ramp in Spiral #4 and ran out of fuel and the Getman truck rolled backward and he turned it into the rib and when he did he hit his head on a light mounted on the canopy which caused a laceration on his forehead requiring 4 staples.

The employee was getting onto the mantrip/ Kubota tractor when she fell on the ground. The employee's boots were muddy and she lost her footing when getting onto the Kubota.

While in the field welding and grinding on a shovel bucket a piece of foreign material went in to the right eye. The employee was wearing a face shield and safety glasses.

While in the process of removing the quill rod from the rod string and lying the quill rod on the deck, the driller helper's right ring finger became caught between the quill rod and the drill swivel base.

While pulling a jack leg drill steel out of the hole, the drill pinched his hand against the rib.

Heard air leaking, turned valve the wrong way, turning on the air while the end of the hose flip up hitting him in the chin.

Employee was bolting and a bolt fell from the back and hit her nose and lacerated her lip, which required sutures.

Employee was working at the de-sediment plant hitting the end of the bag with a 6'X2"" Driscoll pipe knocking the sediment build up off the bag, so the water could flow through easier. While doing this the employee felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.

Mechanic was using a pry bar to remove old screen panel parts from a banana gravity screen. He had the bar underneath a piece of rubber and was prying when the bar slipped from his hand and struck him in the mouth. The employee received a split lip (minor first aid) and the employee's two top, center teeth were chipped.

While walking around truck EE slipped and cut hand on rib wire. 8 sutures.

Employee failed to use three points of contact while mounting CP 563 compactor. His right hand missed the grip causing him to fall and strike his forehead on the frame of the roller, resulting in a laceration that required

The employee was adjusting the packing on a pump when the wrench kicked back and lacerated his hand requiring 10 sutures.

After medical investigation it was determined that the injury diagnosis is a low back strain, primarily caused by the employee bending and working in an awkward position.

Employee was removing a chain binder from the mud tank. When the employee took the tension off of the binder, it hit the skid of the mud tank, bounced back and struck the employee in the head causing a contusion on his ear and cheek, hair-line fracture in his jaw, and two chipped teeth in the right side of the mouth.

The employee was mixing bentonite and got dust in his eye. He was wearing contacts with safety glasses. One hour into the next shift he complained about an eye irritation. He was taken to the hospital, diagnosed with a corneal abrasion and released to full duty.

Employee was loosening the chuck on the pipe threader with a pipe wrench and hammer. the employee got assistance from a helper. as he held the pipe, the helper used the hammer to help loosen the chuck. The pipe started to slip and the employee got his finger smashed between the pipe. resulting in a fracture to the right ring finger.

Operator was loading the Carousel with bolts when he slid the bolt forward and pinched his right ring finger slicing it open. Operator was taken to town for sutures.

while removing worn out barrel sleeve, employee received a mild cut left palm, and received stitches.

Employee was unloading bags of cement in the 1-4550. After about 1 1/2 hours he felt a burning sensation on his forearms. He showered and applied cream. On Tuesday the 10th his right arm was irritated upon touch. Right arm was treated for infection by physician.

Employee lost his balance stepping down to the ground from a 2 foot height, when he fell he landed on his wrist causing a fracture.

While exiting truck the door swung open pinching his middle finger in hinge area. Employee received sutures.

Employee was installing a manway can at the 4495 escape raise, when his right thumb got hit with the spud while his hand was on the can.

Using a hammer and a brass punch driving a king pin in a steering knuckle on a forklift a small piece of the pin chipped off and went inside of employee's forearm. The small piece of metal was extracted 05/26/11.

Employee was welding and grinding all shift. Employee could not pin point a specific time of injury. Employee awoke the next day with irritation to eye.

While employee was descaling screen with a sledge hammer, the employee swung the hammer missing the intended object, and hit his right index finger against the structure. Causing a fracture and laceration on the tip of the right index finger which include three stitches.

Employee was drilling in the 3-4450 S when a rock fell through the wire and struck him in the mouth, chipping his tooth.

Employee had been holding angle iron aloft using his forearms, he reported soreness the next day. Employee did not seek medical attention immediately, this was determined to be an illness after Dr visit on 03/22/11.

Employee was using a recipricating saw when the blade bound up and his left index finger was pinched between the saw and the object he was cutting. The laceration required 6 sutures.

While walking to bolter head he trip on the bolter jack. Hitting his head requiring sutures.

Employee was changing drill bit on blast hole drill, employee's finger was pinched between drill bit and hand rail. Employee received 6 stitches on left pinky finger. Employee returned to work on the same day.

In the process of tighting a joint on drill rod, the 36"" pipe wrench slipped, the momentum caused the driller to loose center of balance causing the wrench to pin his left thumb between the wrench and a drill mast section.

Cutting band on bolts when the end of the band flipped and hit his forearm, cutting him.

Hooking coiled air hose to connection when it when it came apart and hit him in the mouth and broke tooth.

Employee was machining a part on a lathe. The chuck flipped a metal chip around which cut the employees left pinky finger, requiring 4 sutures.