MSHA Fatalities Involving Drilling Operations

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On February 17, 1995, a driller with six months of mining experience was killed at a limestone quarry. There were no witnesses to the accident. The employee was operating a track drill. He was found dead wrapped around the drill steel. It is believed that the employee's clothing got caught on the moving drill stem. On February 14, 1996, a mechanic (contractor employee) with 24 years of mining experience was killed at a sand and gravel operation. The employee was preparing to repair the hydraulic hose on a hydraulic track drill when he was run over by the drill. The drill operator was tramming the drill backwards to an area where the hose could be repaired. When the drill operator turned the drill 90 degrees, he noticed the mechanic under the crawler track. The victim died from crushing injuries.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On February 26, 1997, a driller (contractor employee) with 8 years of mining experience was killed at an iron ore pit. The employee was drilling the surface above an abandoned underground mine shaft when the ground caved in under the drill head. The employee fell 20-feet down a mine raise opened up by the drilling and was buried under material at the bottom. On April 1, 1997, a driller with nearly 10 years of mining experience was killed at a limestone mine. The employee was drilling blast holes using an air-track drill in preparation of removing an additional 25 feet of the floor from the existing drift when a ground fall occurred from a pillar, crushing him.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On September 3, 1997, a contractor driller with 9 years of mining experience was killed at a limestone quarry. The victim had been drilling a blast hole about 4 feet from the edge of a 92- foot highwall. He was adding drill steel when the hammer feed chain broke causing the victim to fall over the edge. The victim was not wearing a safety belt and line. On February 3, 1997, a driller with 5 years of mining experience was killed at a zinc operation. The employee was operating a single boom jumbo drill, drilling blast holes in a brow. The victim was crushed when a massive roof fall occurred which collapsed the canopy.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On Monday, October 5, 1998, the operator of a highwall drill, while at the operating controls, was fatally injured when a large piece of rock fell from the highwall onto the cab of his drill. The rock fell 20 feet to a safety bench, split, then fell an additional 55 feet onto the top of the cab. The portion of rock that struck the highwall drill completely destroyed the operator's cab.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On Thursday, January 7, 1999, a highwall drill operator, while inside the operator's cab, was fatally injured when a portion of the highwall collapsed. Large pieces of sandstone fell from the highwall causing severe damage to the drill and the operator's compartment. The portion of the highwall which collapsed measured approximately 50 feet in height by 60 feet in width.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On January 27, 2000, a 49 year- old driller with 11-½ years mining experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim had positioned his truck mounted drill parallel to the edge of the high wall in preparation for drilling. The stabilizers were lowered and as the drill mast was being raised, one of the stabilizers sank into the ground causing the drill to overturn. The drill fell over the highwall edge, crushing the operator's cab.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On April 22, 2002, a 22 year-old drill operator with one year mining experience was fatally injured at a dimension stone quarry. The victim was drilling in the quarry when his clothing became entangled in the rotating drill steel.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On June 12, 2002, a 35-year-old maintenance worker with 7 years mining experience was fatally injured at an alumina operation. The victim was drilling out scale that had accumulated inside heater tank pipes. The drill motor, detached from the gear box, fell from the drill mast and struck the victim.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On September 10, 2002, a 58 year-old drill operator with 15 years drilling experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim had positioned the truck-mounted chassis drill, set the jacks and raised the truck chassis off the ground. He was raising the drill mast into position when a previously damaged jack foot connection may have allowed the "ball end" to suddenly drop into the receiving socket. This caused the drill to become unstable, tip over and crush the operator inside the operator's cab.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On July 19, 2004, a 41 year-old contractor driller trainee with 20 years mining experience was fatally injured at a surface granite operation. The victim fell from the top of a highwall as he was re-threading a drill steel in a vertical drill.

MSHA Fatality INVOLVING DRILLING OPERATIONS On March 24, 2004, a 41-year- old, driller with 22 years mining experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone mine. The victim was using a track mounted drill to drill blast holes. Apparently, he attempted to manually thread a new drill steel, with the mast vertical and the drill head rotating, when the rotating steel entangled him.

MSHA’s Best Practices Highwalls should be examined often, especially during periods of changing weather conditions. The ground control plan at every mine should be followed All miners should be trained to recognize hazardous highwall conditions. Drill operators should not drill from positions that increase exposure to highwall hazards.