The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has released alerts for the 25th and 26th fatalities of 2022.
The agency said that on October 17 a miner at Holcim’s Ada quarry and plant in Pontotoc County, Okla., died when he fell approximately 90 ft. from the walkway outside the plant’s mill building.
This was the 25th fatality reported in 2022, and the third classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Train miners to be aware of fall hazards in their workplace.
- Provide and maintain safe access to areas where miners work or travel.
MSHA said that on October 22 a mine examiner drowned in an underground sump at the Corsa Coal’s Acosta Deep Mine in Jenner Township, Pa. The examiner was assigned to start pumps in the area. The float switch box was found open with exposed electrical conductors inside the box.
This was the 26th fatality reported in 2022, and the third classified as “Drowning.”
MSHA recommends the following best practices to avoid this type of accident:
- Make sure miners de-energize, lock out, and tag out equipment before entering an area to perform repairs or maintenance.
- Make sure miners have communication systems available when assigned to work alone.
- Operators must conduct required examinations from safe locations to identify hazards, correct hazards, notify miners, and record hazards.