Specialty Minerals IncMining Incidents in 2005

Standing at the quarry edge next to the crusher watching blast in quarry with two contractors and the quarry supervisor, blast went bad. We ran, I fell trying to avoid flying rocks and landed in a truck tire rut. Injured back, legs, right arm, shoulder, knee, right eye and left abdominal pain.

Driver was in the process of having the tank trailer loaded by a specialty minerals ee. When complete, the rebar driver started to walk back to the tractor when his hard hat and then shoulder was struck by a piece of metal.

Crew was bull rigging a 10' piece of pipe up two flights of stairs when the jack stand rolled from under the pipe. Employee was holding the pipe with his hand when jack stand started to roll. Employee let go and put his hand around the front of the pipe where his (L) hand was pinched requiring stitches to his 3rd finger.

Employee felt pain in his lower back after pushing on a wrench to loosen an electrical termination.

EMPLOYEE WAS MANUALLY BAGGING CALCIUM OXIDE/LIME & ALUMINUM BRIQUETTES INTO 48 LB. BAGS & PLACING THEM ONTO STORAGE CART (USED TO CHARGE FURNACES) WHEN HE FELT A SHARP PAIN IN HIS LOWER BACK.

EE WAS CLEANING UP UNDER CALCIUM CROWN CHIPPER USING SHOVEL. WHEN EE BENT DOWN, FELT PAIN IN THE LOWER LEFT SIDE OF BACK.

Employee was bagging 50 lb bags.

Employee was walking to work area on driveway (asphalt paved) and slipped on block ice.

WHILE BAGGING HIS 6TH PALLET OF 50 LB. BAGS OF DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE AT RAYMOND MILL BAGGING AREA, EMPLOYEE FELT A POP IN HIS BACK & FELT SIGNIFICANT PAIN.

Employee was climbing down the ladder of QT-3 haul truck. His foot missed the top step of the ladder. His left foot then was caught under the step second from the top. He fell backwards and was hanging upside down from the ladder. A nearby employee was there to lift him up almost immediately. He injured his lower left leg and was placed on restricted work duty for one day.

EMPLOYEE WAS WALKING DOWN THE STAIRS BETWEEN SCREEN 131 & 132 IN THE SECONDARY CRUSHER & DRYER BUILDING WHEN HE STEPPED ON A ROCK.

EMPLOYEE WAS TRYING TO MOVE/STRAIGHTEN OUT A FULL CONDENSER OF CALCIUM METAL WHEN HE WAS SLIDING/PUSHING IT FORWARD, THE BACK EDGE CAUGHT THE METAL RACK CAUSING THE CONDENSER TO SLAM DOWN TO THE RACK CATCHING HIS RT. THUMB BETWEEN THE CONDENSER & METAL RACK.

Employee was operating a chain jack which was attached to the underside of the floor above where the employee was working. He was sitting on a gate approximately 3' below the point of attachment, not giving him much room to work.

Electrician was pulling on wires to connect to new motor for #1 mill when he felt pain in his lower back. Reportable due to RWDs and a number of Dr appointments.

Employee was walking to the tool room to return some equipment. She had to pass through the fabrication area. She tried to shield her eyes from the grinding, but felt something in her eye. A foreign body was removed; she was treated for conjunctival infection and given prescription medications as treatment.

WHILE CHANGING INTO WORK CLOTHES IN THE LOCKER ROOM, HE LIFTED HIS LEG TO PUT HIS PANTS ON AND DEVELOPED SEVERE PAIN IN HIS BACK ON HIS LOWER RIGHT SIDE. IT RADIATES THROUGH HIS RIGHT BUTTOCK AND BEHIND HIS RIGHT LEG. (REPORTABLE DUE TO RESTRICTED WORK DAYS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS).

EE WAS GETTING OUT OF LOADER AND SLIPPED ON THE BOTTOM RUNG OF THE LADDER. EE LEFT FOOT SLIPPED AND BANGED LOWER LEFT LEG ON THE RUNG

EMPLOYEE FILLING SUPERSACKS WITH LIMESTONE IN THE SCREEN STONE DEPT., GRABBED THE SACK W/HIS LT. HAND, BACK FACING SACK & PULLED TO SWIVEL SACK EVEN W/PALLET BELOW WHEN THE PIN FROM THE CLEVIS CAME OUT DROPPING THE SCALE, SACK FRAME & 2000 LB. SACK STRIKING THE EE ON THE BACK LEFT SHOULDER.

EMPLOYEE STEPPING OUT OF VOLVO L-150 LOADER AT THE SECONDARY CRUSHER & DRYER FEED HOPPER STOCKPILE ONTO CRUSHED LIMESTONE. AT THIS TIME HE TWISTED HIS RT. ANKLE & WHEN HE TRIED TO STABILIZE HIMSELF FROM FALLING HE PUT WEIGHT ON HIS LT. LEG. HE THEN FELT PAIN IN HIS LEFT QUADRICEP.

Worker was helping mechanics remove screen panel from SCH10 when right index finger was caught between screen and framework.

Employee was shoveling, removing spent calcium aluminate briquettes when he felt a piece of foreign material in his eye. After flushing his eye at an eye wash station unsuccesfully, he went to the doctor, who provided an antibiotic.

Employee removed a dust colletor bag that was completely full of dust. The dust left in the plenum above came down and hit him in the face. A small amount of dust got behind his safety glasses and into his right eye. He flushed his eye and then was treated and released at the local hospital. He was give a prescription medicaton.

WHILE SHOVELING OUT FURNACE #IO (REMOVING CALCIUM ALUMINATE SPENT BRIQUETTES) EMPLOYEE FELT A PIECE OF FOREIGN MATERIAL IN HIS EYE. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO FLUSH IT OUT AT THE EYE WASH STATION UNSUCCESSFULLY, HE WENT TO THE EYE DOCTOR WHO REMOVED THE FOREIGN MATERIAL UNDER HIS EYE LID. (RECORDABLE - DOCTOR PROVIDED AN ANTIBIOTIC).

While trying to open a jammed screen gate with a come-along, employee applied force and the gate sprang open and smashed finger between come-along handle and building brae. (Reportable due to draining fluid from under fingernail.)

Employee was sitting at her desk in the office building when she got bite by a spider.