P&Q Editors Blog
Safety reminders
January 3, 2012
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Safety concerns with bulldozers and highwalls make up MSHA's latest safety alerts. A string of deaths in the mining industry linked to bulldozers and highwalls led MSHA to warn the community about potential dangers and to remind it about best practices. Meanwhile, a look at 2011 fatality statistics in the metal/nonmetal sector reveals 16 total deaths – 11 occurring at surface mines and five underground. The leading causes of these deaths were powered haulage (four) and machinery and slip/fall of person, with three each. The 16 deaths in metal/nonmetal are down from 23 in 2010. – Brian Richesson
Four dead in four days
November 21, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
Four miners killed in four days. That's the bold headline in a MSHA safety alert poster, which includes a checklist of best practices on how the mining community can avoid these tragedies. While these deaths in the last four days of October did not occur at aggregate operations, they still serve as a reminder of the dangers all miners face on a daily basis. In fact, of the four deaths that occurred at metal/nonmetal mines in the third quarter of this year, ending Sept. 30, three did happen at aggregate operations. One miner was killed at a sand and gravel operation when he accessed an elevated platform near an unguarded head pulley and became entangled in the operating conveyor system. Another miner was killed at a portable sand and gravel operation when he opened the 480-volt feeder box at the motor control center, started to remove the leads and received a fatal shock. And yet another miner was killed at a sand and gravel operation when he was changing a screen in the plant and fell about 56 ft. He was standing on a steel rail that had been placed between the midrail of the protective rail surrounding the screen deck work platform and the screen structure. Take some time to review MSHA's preventative recommendations regarding fatal accidents. – Brian Richesson
Beware of October
September 19, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
One statistic in particular has haunted the metal and nonmetal sector of the mining industry over the past decade. From 1999 to 2010, fatalities at these facilities have numbered the highest in October, compared to any other month of the year, according to MSHA data. The 55 fatalities in October are significantly higher than the next most-fatal month (June with 42) during this time period. These results forced MSHA to issue an October Fatal Alert, in which it provides best practices to prevent even more deaths. Read the safety tips here. – Brian Richesson
With sympathy
August 8, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
The Pit & Quarry staff was sad to hear about the passing of Jason Gudat, a 31-year-old driller at East Fairfield Coal Co.'s Subtropolis Mine in Petersburg, Ohio. While we mourn every lost life in the mining industry, news of Gudat's death, resulting when a slab of roof in the underground limestone mine struck him, hit particularly close to home. The mine is located about 85 miles southeast of our Cleveland headquarters, and the staff had visited the site and met company officials in recent years. MSHA released a full report of the accident investigation, and it was difficult to read. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gudat's family. – Brian Richesson
Wild West
August 1, 2011
By: Pit & Quarry Staff
California’s Office of Mine Reclamation (OMR) is threatening to stop Lehigh Southwest Cement Co.’s Permanente Quarry from selling material to government agencies, and the clock is ticking. In a letter dated July 20, the Cupertino company was handed a 30-day notice that it must comply with state reclamation regulations or be taken off the AB 3098 List. Quarries on this list can sell mined materials to governments but must have approved reclamation plans and the financial assurances that they can cover the associated costs. Lehigh’s violations include the instability of pit slopes as well as surface mining operations occurring outside an approved reclamation boundary, which should have been addressed by December 2007, the letter states. Lehigh must correct these violations to comply with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975. Lehigh has been working with the Santa Clara County planning department, the lead agency on the issue, and said it’s in full compliance with the law, according to an article in the Los Altos Patch. We probably haven’t heard the last on this West Coast dispute. – Brian Richesson
