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THE MAIN PRODUCTION HOIST WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE THE MORNING OF 10/21/2011 AT 7:00AM TO PERFORM HYDRAULIC SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. AT 6:05AM, THE MSHA 1-800# WAS CALLED BY AN EE TO ADVISE THEM OF THE SITUATION. THE HOIST WAS PLACED BACK INTO SERVICE AT 5:40PM. NO INJURIES OR ACCIDENTS ONLY THE HYDRAULIC MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED.
MAIN PRODUCTION HOIST WOULD NOT START AT BEGINNING OF SHIFT. TROUBLE SHOOTING AND INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED. DISCOVERED A BAD BEARING THAT REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. BEARING WAS REPLACED 10/20/2011.
EMPLOYEE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OFF THE LUG NUTS ON THE WHEEL OF THE ANFO HAULING TRAILER. A LUG THAT WAS TIGHT BROKE LOOSE. WHEN THE LUG BROKE LOOSE, THE EMPLOYEE WENT WITH IT AND CAUSED HIM TO HIT HIS HEAD (JUST ABOVE HIS LEFT EYE) ON THE TRAILER. EMPLOYEE'S GLASSES WERE BENT AND HEAD WAS CUT.
EMPLOYEE WAS UNLOADING SALT FROM A RAILCAR AT THE UNLOAD STATION. LARGE CHUNKS OF SALT BEGAN TO BUILD UP IN THE UNLOAD CHUTE. EMPLOYEE USED A 1/2" PIPE IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISLODGE THE SALT AND THE PIPE CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE AUGER. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE PIPE WAS FORCED TO THE NORTH AND THE EMPLOYEES RIGHT INDEX FINGER IMPACTED THE BOTTOM OF THE RAILCAR TRAP.
EMPLOYEE WAS REPAIRING / INSTALLING ROLL MILL AND HAD LEFT POINTER FINGER SMASHED BETWEEN THE FRAMEWORK AND PIPE.
MARK WAS OPERATING THE AUTO SACKING SYSTEM AND HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE BAG SEALS. MARK WAS STACKING THE UNSEALED BAGS INTO A PILE. MARK BEGAN TO WALK OVER TO THE AUTO SACKER CONTROL PANEL AND CAUGHT HIS LEFT FOOT ON A BAG. HE TRIPPED BUT WAS ABLE TO CATCH HIS BALANCE. LEFT HIP WAS SORE.
EMPLOYEE LIFTED A BARREL OF GREASE ONTO THE BACK OF THE GOLF CART WHILE UNDERGROUND. FEELS PAIN AROUND THE LOWER RIGHT RIB CAGE (FRONT OF BODY).
The main hoist went out of service at 4:15pm. Upon investigation a hydraulic line fitting blow out was discovered. At 4:40pm the men underground were evacuated to the surface of our #3 shaft. At 4:45pm the hydraulic line and fitting were repaired. At 4:55pm the MSHA 1-800# was called to advise of the situation. The hoist was placed back into service at 5:20pm.
The #1 hoist went out of service due to rope stretch. It was observed that the skip was unable to to reach elevations high enough to dump. The rope was taken up to to correct the problem. Hoist was placed back into operation at 12:00 am 01/19/2011. All miners were promptly evacuated through the #3 escape shaft after discovery of hoist malfunction.
Employee was driving a golf cart from the working face of the mine to the lunch room when making a turn the cart rolled and employee fell out and impacted shoulder to the rough salt floor. Employee suffered a left shoulder contusion.
Employee was helping to put a shaft timber in place. When he pulled down on a pry bar he felt a pain in his mid-section. He finished his shift that day, but upon returning to work the next day he was unable to perform his duties due to pain. Diagnosis was pulled muscles in his mid-section.
Main production hoist would not operate due to a hydraulic fault. Fault was determined to be the result of the hydraulic contact switch not working properly.
Due to a problem incurred somewhere along the transmission lines of the company that provides electricity to the mine, electricity to the mine was lost. This resulted in the main hoist being inoperable until electricity was restored.
Hoist operator lost power to hydraulic controls due to a burnt up hydraulic electrical control switch. The control switch was replaced and the hoist was operational at 11:00 pm.
During the quarterly inspection, MSHA inspectors requested to exit the mine through the escape shaft. When decending the skip to the bottom, the skip would get stuck prior to reaching the bottom. Upon investigation it was discovered that a bulge had developed at approximately the 350' level of the shaft.
Employee was experiencing discomfort in his right forearm and elbow. Medical diagnosis is belief that employee has tendinitis secondary to repetitive movements at work filing sacks of salt.
Main hoist would not start up. Weather overnight was extremely cold, and it is believed that extremely low temperatures was causing too much drag on the M.G. Set during startup. Hoist was placed in service at 10:25 AM.
Main hoist would not start. Trouble shooting & inspection was done on the hoist. During a start up, it was noticed that M.G. set was making a noise. A shaft bearing on the DC side of the M.G. set was running hotter than normal, and bearing drag likely kept the M.G. set from coming up to speed within the parameters allowed by computer. Bearing was changed out on 12/12/09.
The main hoist would not start. After checking system over, the operating parameters were changed allowing the M.G. Set to start. However, the voltage level was twice the norm. The Static Field Comp, which was believed to have failed, was replaced. The operating parameters were returned to original settings, the hoist operated and was placed back in service.
Employee was experiencing pain in his left shoulder. Medical professional feels that it is likely tendonitis brought on by the repetitive motion involved with the employee's work.
Pinched fingers between guard on scissor lift.
Employee was driving a golf cart along the underground conveyor beltline and his leg struck an emergency stop box that protrudes out from the beltline. Employee suffered a broken left leg.
Failure of drive communication board in hoist system resulted in shutting down the hoist to replace the board. It is believed that a thunderstorm from the prior day may have contributed to the failure of the drive communication board. Hoist was out of service for approximately one hour.
On April 6, 2009, employee reported that he was going to see the doctor regarding pain and inflamation in his left arm (elbow area). Employee was given injections to help alleviate the problem. From a prior occurrence, it is assumed that problem arises from placing stress on the arm and elbow.
Main hoist system experienced a field loss when running the daily brake test. After locating the problem, fuses were replaced and the problem was corrected. No men were underground at the time of the problem, and no injuries resulted from the hoist being out of service.
An apparent power spike went through power lines of Western Electric over the weekend. When our hoist operator attempted start up on Monday, hoist did not operate. This was prior to shift starting. Through trouble shooting we were able to track down a small battery backup that needed to be replaced. The power surge caused the logic control of the hoist to fail. Program was reloaded
A section of frame for a new wheeloader was being lowered down the main production shaft into the mine. During the lowering, the frame began to rotate and got caught. The main production shaft was out of commission until the frame could be freed.
Employee was in a manbasket on a forklift painting a warehouse loading dock canopy. When the forklift operator moved the forklift, he misjudged the distance between the manbasket and and a steel girder, and momentarily pinned the employee between the girder and the back of the manbasket.
Dus to intermittent loss of power to the synchronous motor protector, the hoist was taken out of service @ 445pm. After resetting the field with amps, the hoist was placed back in service @535pm. The electrial engineer who was called in believes that a relay on the synchronous motor protector may be going bad.
The driver of a customers truck fell as he getting out of his truck.In trying to catch/brace himself the man landed on his right hand.Due to swelling and pain, a mine EE applied a samsplint,ice pack and co-band.Driver reported that he never saw a DR and that the swelling and pain were gone by the time he went home.
At 4:08 PM an interruption in the electrical supplyoccurred, which we believe was a surge in power and to which the power company said likely did happen. Result was damage to a circuit board panel in the DC converter of the hoist system. A new circuit board was flown in on 12/18/2007. Following hoist checks and inspections, the hoist was put back in service at 7:45 PM.
Downed power lines, etc. brought about by a heavy ice storm resulted in electricity going out at approximately 11:30 AM, December 11, 2007. The power company finally restored power to the mine location at approximately 5:30 PM, December 12, 2007. Following hoist checks and inspections, hoist was placed back in service at 6:45 PM, December 12, 2007.
After initial inspection and tests were run, hoist did not respond properly. Computer was reading a PLC communication fault. Technicians were called out, and at 9:45 AM the hoist responded. Following inspections and tests, the hoist was back in service.
At 10:40 AM the hoist stopped responding and all men were immediately brought up out of the mine. Technicians were called out, and problem was found to be a bad wire connection in an electrical panel. The connection was repaired, and after operating the hoist in test mode for 15 minutes, the hoist was again operational.
Motor generator set that generates direct current power for the production/man hoist would not synchronize. Problem appeared to be temperature related. Notification was made to toll-free #, and no employees were ever entrapped or endangered.
A hydraulic fitting on the hoist braking system cracked and leaked hydraulic oil. The hoist was shut down to install replacement fitting. No one was underground whle the hoist was down. Incident reported to MSHA Inspector Dustin Crelly who was on-site.
Hurt his right elbow when a guard he was fitting on an overhead conveyor slipped.
Employee was grinding on a piece of metal with a hand grinder when a fleck of metal got past his shield and safety glasses and entered his left eye. Employee went to ophthalmologist to have the foreign body removed.
Employee was working in the shaft when his left hand struck a nail, which pierced the skin and resulted in some bleeding. Overnight the employee had swelling in the area where the nail pierced his hand. He was given a tetanus shot and an antibiotic prescription.
Employee was grinding a piece of iron with a hand grinder when a fleck of metal got past his shield and safety glasses and entered his left eye. Employee went to the optometrist to have the foreign body removed.
Employee was tapping out a 3/8" nut for a guard when the tap slipped out of the employee's hand. The employee reached suddenly to catch the tap and felt a sharp pain in his lower back.
Motor generator set that generates direct current power for the production/man hoist would not synchronize. Problem appears to be temperature related. Item was reported to Dustin Creley who was on-site doing quarterly inspection.
Employee struck his hard hat/head against a wire insulator attached to the mine roof as he was carrying parts across a catwalk on the surge bin at the shaft bottom. Employee injured his neck - cervical sprain.
500KW generator portion of MG set was showing temperature readings in excess of nominal. Investigation revealed some broken springs used to apply proper brush friction. All brushes and some springs with holders were replaced. Topeka office was notified of hoist shutdown and re-start.
Employee was pulling cable down a belt line when he slipped and fell. Upon falling, the employee's right leg landed on a chunk of salt just below the knee. The employee sustained a deep bruise to his right leg.
Prior to start of daily operations, hydraulic pump to the hoist brake system was showing inadequate pressure. After adjustments, the hoist was put back into service at 9:00 AM. Later in the morning the hoist was again taken out of service to replace the pump, oil and filter. Hoist was put back in service at 2:30 PM. MSHA Inspectors on site this day doing quarterly inspection.
Employee was filling 50lb bags of salt. While holding a bag up to the spout and filling, he lost hold of the bag. This resulted in his arm rising quickly and striking his left forearm against the chute.
Individual was participating in a mine rescue team competition/training at Hutchinson, KS. Due to exteneded exposure to midday sun during the competition/training, the individual sustained a blistering sunburn to the back of his neck. He laid off work to avoid breaking the blisters.
Employee started experiencing extreme shortness of breathe and a burning sensation in his chest. He immediately left work to go to the hospital. The employee was starting to have a heart attack and subsequently had to have bypass surgery to correct blockage.
At 1:55 pm the electric company experienced some type of problem which resulted in the loss of transmission of electricity to the area that included Independent Salt Comapny. Three employees who were in the mine at that time were brought up through the escape shaft.