All MSHA-reportable accidents at Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper operations in 2012. Fatalities appear first.
A craftsman was assisting with the replacement of a conveyor belt scraper. He handed the new scraper through the access port of the head box to his co-worker & helped position it in place. As he did this he felt a pain in his abdominal region. Although the date of injury was 11/13/12 the employee was diagnosed with a hernia on 12/5/12.Employee is scheduled for surgery on 12/18/12.
A haulage truck driver was returning to a dump loaded, when he lost control of the haul truck, hit the berm and tipped the haul truck on its side. As a result of the incident the operator sustained injuries to his torso.
Employee was replacing skirt liners in a conveyor transfer point. He was staging the liners by hand on top of the conveyor belt when his left little finger was pinched between two liners. The liners are approximately 40 pounds each.
Helper was using a pressure washer. He was cleaning mud of the nozzle with his left hand while he activated the washer with his right hand. The high pressure flow penetrated his glove and injected a small amount of water into his hand.
An intern was opening a can during lunch when his thumb contacted the sharp edge of the lid resulting in a laceration injury requiring sutures.
Employee experienced pain/discomfort in his left eye as a result of contact with an insect/spider while operating equipment. Employee was evaluated by a medical professional and treated with prescription antibiotic for possible infection and was returned to work without restrictions.
Employee was pulling back on tongs while tripping collars out of angle hole and felt pain in left shoulder. Employee switched to another job and continued working for the rest of the shift. That evening the employee went to medical center to get shoulder checked out and reported the incident to the Supervisor the following morning. Was given release to return to full work duty.
An employee was in the process of repairing a trunnion grease line. The guarding was pulled away from the mill with a winch. Once the grease line was repaired, a wedge was placed in between and tension was released. The employee was then removing the wedge when it slipped out. The tip of his left middle finger was pinched resulting in a fracture and lacerations.
Craftsman was working to repair a leaking hydraulic hose on a steering priority valve on a haul truck when he received a laceration injury requiring sutures.
Employee was standing near forklift talking with the operator. The door was latched in the open position, a strong gust of wind unlodged the door and pushed the injured employee into the frame of the operators compartment from the back. His forehead struck the grab bar resulting in a laceration that required stitches despite the hard hat and safety glasses the worker was wearing.
Worker was cutting a section of toe plate with an angle grinder equipped with an abrasive cutting wheel when his right hand made contact with the cutting wheel, causing a 1cm laceration. Guard was in place. He was not using the detachable handle when the accident occurred. He had not received appropriate training prior to using the tool. The injury required 3 stitches.
Bolt in impact wrench came into contact with employee's mouth. Lip was lacerated, two teeth were broken.