CORESafety suggests that mining accidents can happen almost anywhere, but especially when a miner is working at a height where falling could cause an injury or even a fatality.
Two examples -
In 2001, an ironworker - welder was working on the fifth floor of a coal preparation plant when a 16 x 4 foot section of flooring collapsed, causing him to fall 34 feet to the second floor. The man did not survive.
In 2007, a floor walker/mechanic with 17 years experience fell 24 feet from a third floor level to the ground floor. A co-worker had earlier seen him on the safe side of a guardrail, but he had apparently later climbed over the rail to reach an impact wrench that had been dropped onto a 6-inch ledge, lost his balance, and fell. The worker was not working with a safety harness or any other fall protection gear at the time, and he too died.
Injuries or fatalities like these can sometimes occur because of inattentiveness or unnecessary risk-taking on the part of the miner, the lack of proper fall protection equipment, or an unanticipated mechanical failure such as a collapsing floor.
Working at heights, such as on scaffolding, raised platforms, elevated walkways, ladders, machinery and moving vehicles, requires that miners stay alert and follow fall protection procedures at all times.
CORESafety included this sample - Working at Heights and Fall Protection Guidelines developed by a mining company to help you anticipate conditions at your company where height might be a factor in causing an accident, along with safety procedures to consider implementing.
You can also refer to Module 5 and Module 12 of the CORESafety Handbook for more information.
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Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-