All MSHA-reportable accidents at Specialty Minerals Inc operations in 2006. Fatalities appear first.
Employee of Adams Trucking was weedwacking brush. Blade on weedwacker hit guide wire for electrical pole. The wire was severed and the tension pulled it back toward the transformers on the pole. the guide wire came in contact with a bare wire. At this time we assume electricity went to ground causing fatality. Under Investigation.
The driver was walking on the north side of the secondary crusher/dryer building to check on his traine. While walking he stepped on a one inch stone that was ont he asphalt pavement and twisted his left ankle.
Slipped on rolling scrap of conduit; strained groin.
EMPLOYEE CHARGED & DISCHARGED 5 FURNACES DURING THE DAY WEARING GOGGLES. HIS EYES FELT DRY DURING THE DAY. ON HIS DRIVE HOME THE SUNLIGHT WAS IN HIS EYES & HIS EYES BECAME SEVERELY IRRITATED & STUNG. HE WAS TREATED AT AN E.R. & THE FOLLOWING DAY AT OUR OCCUPATIONAL DR.
Employee banged his elbow on the steelwork of a dryer while working on the fan for the dryer. The elbow became infected. He was evaluated by a local Doctor and given antibiotics for the infections. He missed one scheduled day of work and worked one restricted day.
On 12/21 employee came to his supervisor & told him lower back was hurting. He stated that he hurt his back on 12/20, likely when he was picking up & tossing bucket elevator buckets into a scrap metal hopper. Still under investigation. Restricted work days.
While charging (carrying bags of briquettes) furnace #10, the employee went to place a bag on the chute, he planted his left foot & then felt a sharp pain in his left knee. Injury under investigation.
Employee was pushing large metal box into an MCC room when he experienced a strain in calf of left leg.
Screen stone building - while cutting rubber belt skirting to size, box opener type razor blade knife slipped and cut left pinky finger. Reportable due to stitches and restricted work duty.
Employee was fanning empty bags prior to placing them into the packaging machine. He has pain in his left forearm and right shoulder. Employee states that this is a condition that occurred over time.
Employee was removing on empty condenser from the calcium crown pusher when he caught his left index finger between the condenser and steel frame causing a laceration, contusion and fracture of bone.
Employee was closing the manually operated slide gate under #1 porduct bin with a 2"" diameter steel bar when he caught his finger between the bar and a piece of metal. (reportable due to stitches and 1 restricted workday)
Reconnecting Guzzler Pipe glove caught pulled into and pinched finger in connector.
Employee was descending down ladder next to aluminum chop bin platform in furance building. He had his right hand/finger pinched between bin and ladder rung when forklift backing up removing aluminum chop box hit bin. causing bin to move.
Employee was walking in the alley of the yard and a couple pieces of lime blew into his left eye. He was wearing the proper PPE of Safety Glasses with sideshields. He was treated at Advanced Eye Care where the Doctor removed the particles from his eye and gave him a prescription medication.
Employee was knelling down cutting belting. The knife he was using went through the belt into his right thigh.
Employee was moving a steel wheel on a jack stand cart. The wheel hit the bottom of a discharge pipe and fell onto the employees left hand. The injury required six stitches.
EE was shoveling out (removing spent briquettes) furnace #9, when the shovel stuck going into retort, stopping quickly. The handle of the shovel struck EE in the chin. Reportable due to stitches.
EMPLOYEE IN PROCESS OF CHARGING FURNACES & WHILE RODDING A CHARGED RETORT, EE PINCHED HIS FINGER BETWEEN THE CONDENSING ROD & THE CHARGING CHUTE THAT WAS BEING REMOVED FROM THE ADJACENT RETORT. REPORTABLE: FRACTURED FINGER, PLUS PAIN KILLERS & ANTIBIOTICS.
Employee was shoveling dry light material. When changed to wet heavy materiel, he felt pain in left thumb.
Employee worked in the Kiln Building most of the day. He felt an irritation in his left eye but did not recall an incident that caused it. He worked on 1/27/06 with an irritated eye and was seen by an eye doctor on 1/28/06. A small piece of metal was removed from his eye.
Employee was shoveling/removing spent calcium alumivate briquettes from the furnace and when he went to push cart with shovels to next furnace he got foreign material in his eye. He flushed but still irritated so he went to eye doctor (reportable due to antibiotic prescribed).
Employee was pushing/removing calcium crowns from the metal condensers using the log/crown pusher when empoyee felt a piece of calcium enter into his eye. He flushed eye with water but was still irritated so he went to see a doctor. (reportable-antibiotics for eye rx).
While charging calcium furnace #10 the employee pulled the charging rod too far back allowing it to slip off the end of the chute. The employee grabbed it from the end and leaned back to lift it. When he did, he felt a pain in his back.