Unstable ground fatally flips heavy vehicle operator

ASIA-PACIFICFeaturedWorkplace Safety

A volatile surface claimed the life of a mine worker.

Authorities recently examined what caused a haul truck to fatally overturn at an undisclosed operation on 22 May 2023.

“The edge of the bank at a dump point gave way. The haul truck landed on the roof of the cab,” the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration said in a safety alert.

The operator died at the scene.

Investigators made the following recommendations:

  • wear a seatbelt
  • clearly mark dump locations with reflectors and/or markers
  • install advanced systems that restrain employees during rollovers
  • conduct workplace and ground condition examinations before work begins
  • construct substantial berms as a visual indicator to prevent over travel
  • dump material from a safe location and push the material over the edge with a bulldozer
  • ensure dump locations on unconsolidated material are properly designed, constructed and maintained
  • never load material from the toe of a stockpile that is directly below an active dump point due to the risk of an over steepened and unstable slope.

Related posts

Macmahon invests in hydraulic excavators at Matarbe after successful study

Wayne

Schneider Electric and Glencore collaborate to drive copper circularity

Wayne

New Hope mounts bid for Anglo American coal mines

Wayne

Leave a Comment