Three miners have already been fatally injured and another seriously hurt at metal and nonmetal operations in 2003. One miner was fatally burned while air gouging a metal flange near a scrubber opening. An ignition occurred after hot slag contacted a combustible membrane in the scrubber. The second fatal occurred when a supervisor fell 9 feet from an elevated area at a cement plant. A chain across a ladder opening unhooked when he contacted it. A third miner was fatally injured when he fell down a shaft. He was repairing a water line and stepped on a metal covering that failed. A fourth miner was seriously injured at a surface gold mine when the dozer he was operating overturned.
Twenty-one of the 40 fatal accidents that occurred in 2002 involved maintenance, repair, and construction activities. Mine operators and miners should analyze all aspects of the job before beginning work. All hazards associated with the job should be properly communicated to the miners before starting work. All miners expect to return home after the end of their shift. Analyze every job every day. Life's too precious for anything less!!!
