Developing a Playbook on Powered Haulage Safety

Details

• Personal Author:
  Eiter BM ; Nasarwanji, Mahiyar F.
• Description:
  Surface mines are dynamic, challenging work environments involving diverse work activities, the use of complex machinery and a range of mobile and powered haulage equipment. Between 2003 and 2018, 109 of 739 (15 percent) fatalities at U.S. mines were caused by hazards related to working near or operating mobile and powered haulage equipment at mines employing six or more miners. In the same period, 1,543 nonfatal injuries occurred involving surface mobile equipment at mines employing more than six miners. MSHA's proposed rule: In 2018, the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) published a request for information (RFI) to gather details from the mining community on the availability, implementation and use of engineering controls in mobile equipment and belt conveyors. To address the RFI, MSHA last September announced a proposed rule requiring that mine operators employing six or more mine workers develop, implement and update a written safety program for surface mobile and powered haulage equipment. The purpose of a safety program is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. An effective safety program uses proactive approaches to manage workplace safety and health. A proactive approach includes looking for and fixing hazards before injuries or illnesses are caused, as opposed to taking a reactive approach where hazards are addressed after a mine worker is injured, becomes sick or dies. Within MSHA's proposed rule, there are four types of actions mine operators must include in the written safety program: 1. Identify and analyze hazards and reduce the resulting risks related to the movement and operation of surface mobile equipment. 2. Develop and maintain procedures and schedules for routine maintenance and non-routine repairs for surface mobile equipment. 3. Identify available and newly emerging feasible technologies that can enhance safety and evaluate whether to adopt them. 4. Train miners and others to identify and address or avoid hazards related to surface mobile equipment. As the industry awaits the final declaration of the MSHA rule, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has several products available aimed at proactively improving the recognition of hazards related to surface mobile equipment. These products are ready for use and can easily be adapted to address mine site-specific needs - and then incorporated into a safety program. Three of these NIOSH products are EXAMiner, ErgoMine, and Safety & Health Toolbox Talks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Engineering Mining Mortality Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Engineering Controls Equipment Operators Fatalities Haulage Vehicles Mine Workers Mining Equipment Mining Industry Safety Programs Surface Mining Training
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0032-0293
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Lay Publication
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  SMRD - Spokane Mining Research Division ; PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  114
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065318
• Citation:
  Pit Quarry 2022 Mar; 114(9):112-114,116
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Pit & Quarry
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:acf533614d2f9f20de35773da8e340db28520dc3374a2fe08981d93da6fddbd730ef46906105a4738d3f65c9c1a79a1773f6946b4df663ae550f44bdb86d6f52
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215513/cdc_215513_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.07 MB ]