Every injury and fatality MSHA has on file. Filter by state, year, sector, classification, experience, or any keyword from the investigator's narrative.
Email me when a new incident matches these filters. One confirmation email; unsubscribe anytime.
Employee was air lancing air slide and twisted EE's knee.
While removing liners from the Coal Mill, a fragment broke off while hitting it with a rivet buster. A worker attending nearby was hit by the projectile, which was embedded approx. 2cm into their right thigh. Employee is scheduled to have it removed in surgery on 02/12/26. Employee is currently on restricted duty and another method for liner removal is being evaluated now.
Employee was lifting multiple 5 gal buckets of rocks up to a makeshift chute for clean up. They started to feel lower back pain but continued thinking it was only a muscle issue. They took the next day off day due to pain and returned the next day and reported it. They aggravated a previous injury and inflamed the area, the Dr placed them on light duty for 5 days until review
Employee was attempting to move an airslide in Silo 2 to clean it out when they felt pain in groin area. They reported it that day but continued work, the next day they felt worse and was taken in to get it checked out. The ER determined a partial muscle tear in the groin area. Employee has been placed on light duty and unable to lift more than 10lbs until cleared by a Dr.
Employee was engaged in moving steel beams in the pre-heater tower for the installation of headache decks to facilitate vessel entry. During this task, the employee experienced lower back pain after bending over to pick up a beam.
Contractors were using the personnel elevator in the PHT, Six people and scaffolding were cramped in the car leading to an accidental push of the E-Stop.
A quarry truck driver sustained a left index finger pinch injury while manually moving a ~288 lb motor that was left obstructing the Secondary Crusher Hoist way walkway. With the hoist out of service, a pony bar was inserted in the lifting eye so two employees could lift it onto a pallet. During the lift, the motor shifted and slid down the bar, pinching the employee's finger.
Contractors were entrapped in an elevator for 3hrs due to an over-speed sensor being tripped.
Improper operation of bandsaw causing finger laceration.
Notified that an incident occurred. Upon checking near the main shop area, Miner 1 (an electrician) was found lying on the main floor, surrounded by fellow miners. It was determined that the 440 main breaker had experienced a catastrophic failure. Subsequent observations revealed that Miner 1 had borne the brunt of the failure and sustained 2nd-degree burns to both hands.
Miner A was chipping debris in the discharge area of the finish mill, when Miner B noticed a fresh wound on Miner A's right forearm. It is believed that material from the mill caused this laceration. Miner A was conveyed to the hospital and released later that day. Miner A returned to work the next day.
Employee was using the elevator to go up to the 12 pack when the elevator stopped due to a limit switch failing.
An employee attempted to break a rake handle by stomping on it. During the attempt, the handle recoiled and struck the employee in the side of the stomach. The pain from the handle caused them to lose consciousness while walking back to the break area. The employee fell down approximately 10 stairs, sustaining two lacerations to the left knee requiring 19 staples.
During crusher maintenance that involved rotating crusher blow bars, one employee was using a sledgehammer to dislodge the blow bar wedges. While striking the wedge, the employee missed and inadvertently struck the rotor. As a result, a metal fragment broke off and struck a nearby employee in the chest.
The employee removed the calibration weight and it dropped onto the employee's hand, pinching it between the top of the guard and the weight. As a result, the employee sustained a cut that required 8 stitches and a hairline fracture to left hand ring finger.
Employee lifted 80-170 lb liners for mill #3 outage and developed right-hand pain after a popping sensation. On May 8 the tendon tightened again; diagnosed with trigger finger. Surgery occurred 1/8/26, with no use of the right hand until 3/11/26. Employee has returned to work with restrictions on 2/2/2026.
While performing a belt change, the employee crouched down to retrieve tools. As they attempted to stand, they applied pressure to their left knee, which resulted in a sharp pain. 5/2/2025 upgraded to Medical Aid. Grade 2 Sprain, requiring Physical Therapy
While pulling liners, the liner broke free hitting the employee in the face. Requiring the employee to get stitches.
Tripped on lip of grating and fell forward onto left knee.
employee was cutting vac hose with a knife and it inadvertently slipped into their right index finger requiring 6 stitches.
Description of Incident: Employee was attempting to remove pallet from lowered hi-lo forks by hand and sustained a small laceration of left middle finger from an exposed packing nail. Employee was taken to ER and treatment was rendered in the form of two stiches. Employee was cleared and returned to work.
Operator reported that while driving the haul truck down the ramp into the pit, the truck slid sideways into a rut, causing a jarring motion that resulted in discomfort to EE's right wrist and lower back. EE was wearing EE's seatbelt at the time and had been holding onto the bar with EE's right hand.
While attempting to reattach a fallen guard on a crusher discharge tail pulley belt, an employee grabbed the guard through the openings and began to lift it into place. During this process, the guard at the back of the tail pulley was accidentally dislodged from its hook, resulting in a shearing injury to the employees left ring finger.
Contractor was going up in the finish and adjusted backpack resulting in the safety trip to engage in elevator.
Employee was working on driving wedges between liners when a chunk of liner broke and cut EE's left index finger. Employee was seen by the onsite first aiders and received cleaning and a bandage and was sent back to work. On 09/25/24 the employee received medical attention to clean the cut out due to an infection.
A fire occurred on the 5th floor of the pre-heat tower where Alternatives Fuels enters the process.
Employee used skid steer to take crusher blow bar pallets off of delivery truck. Once pallets were on ground employee tried sliding one blow bar to another skid to condense and stack skids for loading purposes onto a trailer to take back to main plant. When sliding blow bar, left pointer finger got pinched and caused a laceration to tip of finger.
The fire originated from the kiln pushing material after the calciner was lost. This loss of the calciner enabled unprepared hot material to pass through the kiln and cooler without sufficient cooling time. Consequently, when these materials reached the belt without proper cooling, they ignited and caused the fire.
Contractors accidentally pressed the e-stop and contractors where stuck in the west Alamac for 2 hours before talking to the elevator mechanic. The mechanic told us to try the e-stop which fixed the situation.
The door lock on the alamac elevator was stuck due to a electrical part that failed. This was replaced and the elevator returned to service.
Employee was tasked with moving a 100ft water hose located on a hill approximately 50ft over. Injured employee was located at top of the hill and assisting employee was at the bottom. Both employees grabbed their ends of the hose and tried to pull it over when the Injured Employee felt a sharp pain in lower back
The employee, wearing glasses and a face shield, was in the process of removing the kiln shelf feed door for inspection when dust unexpectedly puffed into both eyes from the opening on the feed shelf. The employee was prescribed eye drops on march 4th, 2024.
Cat 775E was preparing to dump shot rock into crusher, when the operator heard a loud pop and the cab became fully engulfed in flames. Operator quickly exited cab of haul truck and had to jump approximately 8ft down. Emergency services were called immediately and were onsite in approximately 5 minutes, due to the nature of the fire it took approximately 3 hours to extinguish.
Employee was holding a hose and working with another employee to remove a fitting which was taped to the hose. The other employee was cutting the tape and hose when the knife slipped and struck the back of the employee's right middle finger causing a laceration. The laceration required sutures to close.
On September 25th, 2023, at 1:00 PM, an incident occurred at Finish Mill #3 during a repair operation on the water lance. The employee sustained an injury to EE's right ring finger when EE accidentally pinched it between a pipe EE was carrying and a handrail. The injury was assessed as requiring medical attention and received two stitches.
The employee went to put an air lance down the pipe, when doing so the air came back faster than expected and the material went right over safety glasses and into the employees eyes. The employee was not wearing EE's face shield.
Employee was leaving their car in the parking lot and twisted their right ankle. After an x-ray it was found that the employees fibula was chipped due to this.
An employee was cutting vac hose and cut themselves. The employee received 2 stitches on right thigh.
The employee was installing new buckets on FM#3 discharge elevator. The bucket weighted roughly 25lbs and was lifting the bucket at chest level. Employee has been doing physical therapy from 5/25/2023 until 1/31/24. The doctors diagnosed EE with a torn rotator cuff and went into surgery 1/31/24.
Operator was installing a new return roller when it slipped out of position and pinched the employee's finger between the roller and frame
Employee was lifting cribbing to set the mill motor in place on a flat bed trailer. When the employee was lifting the cribbing (approximately 100lbs) employee felt knee hyperextended backward resulting in pain. Employee was seen on January 6, 2023 by the orthopedics and was given a cortisone shot.
Employee is a mechanic and was performing maintenance activities on the D-6 dozer at the plant. Employee was standing on top of the D-6 dozer tracks while holding onto a handrail with left hand. Out of nowhere, employee claims left hip "gave out" and employee fell on top of the D-6 dozer tracks. Employee was evaluated by an Urgent Care on 10/26/22.
The safety switch on the elevator was activated. Two contractors were entrapped in the elevator at the finish silos until Otis arrived to bring the elevator back to the bottom floor.
Employee was splicing belt. EE was placing board underneath belt to help support for cutting. EE flipped the rubber belt over board and felt a shocking pain in finger tip on three lower fingers of right hand. Employee was feeling pins and needles in those fingers, employee then started feeling pain in their right thumb.
The #3 boom boat loading sock counterweight was stuck in the up position and needed to be freed up. The employee decided to pull on the cable to free the counterweight. When the counterweight broke free it pulled employee's hand towards the pulley. This resulted in cutting the tip of the pinky off.
Employee aggravated lower back / Left buttock from operating the truck over time. Employee was looked at by our occupational doctor on 8/30/2022 and given time off, incurring an LTI.
Employee had a tick bite.
At 1:00 pm the employee was cutting new shim plates for Jaw crusher, as EE was cutting with the Torch the sparks from the cutting caught on EE's left pant leg, it caught on fire and when our employee noticed EE quickly put it out with water.
While the employee was cutting a conveyor belt performing maintenance, the knife slipped and cut the inside of EE's left knee.
Two contractors were using the elevator to head to the top of the finish silos when it stopped in-between floors. Otis elevator was called to free the miners. The contractors made it out of the elevator at 11:50am.