On Aug. 9, 2016, a 33-year-old leadman contractor with four years of experience was killed at Cemex’s Kosmos Cement Co. facility in Louisville, Ky. The victim was attempting to replace the lift cable pulleys on the barge loadout chute, when the anchor point for the temporary rigging separated from the chute and it unexpectedly fell. The falling chute caused the lift cables to tighten, which pinned the victim to the chute causing fatal injuries.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released the following best practices to follow to avoid a similar incident:
- Establish and discuss safe work procedures before beginning work. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed and the methods to properly protect persons. Consult and follow the manufacturer’s recommended safe work procedures for the maintenance task.
- Task train all persons to recognize all potential hazardous conditions and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work.
- Examine work areas during the shift for hazards that may be created as a result of the work being performed. Monitor persons routinely to determine safe work procedures are followed.
- Conduct a complete pre-operational inspection of equipment that includes checking winches and cables.
- Position yourself in areas where you will not be exposed to hazards resulting from a sudden release of energy. Be aware of your location in relation to machine parts that can move.
This is the 11th fatality reported in 2016 in metal and nonmetal mining. As of this date in 2015, there were 15 fatalities reported. This is the second fatality classified as machinery in 2016. There were four machinery accident classification fatalities in the same period in 2015.
