August Safety Zone: The Dangers of Power Haulage

Missouri Department of Labor sent this bulletin at 08/30/2019 01:32 PM CDT
Aug 19 Safety Zone
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THE DANGERS OF POWERED HAULAGE

In the public’s eye, Missouri is known for many things — the Gateway Arch, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, and barbecue.  Mining is probably not as readily evident.  Here in the Show-Me State, mining is a very active industry, contributing around $8 billion annually to the state’s economy and the infrastructure with the excavation of limestone and clay being used to produce concrete for roads and bridges. 

From the first time a miner struck a pick in the ground to today’s most sophisticated ultra-modern mining systems, one issue has remained: the movement of mined material and people from their origin to their destination. This movement has taken many forms through the years from the backs of men or animals in yesteryear, to today’s massive loaders and haul trucks, conveyors, man trams, belt feeders, vertical personnel lifts, mobile cranes, cherry pickers, fork lifts, and ATVs to name a few. This transport of people and material is a large part of the mining process and a dangerous one as well. 

Many aspects of powered haulage are a combination of massive machinery, operated by people, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, in very close proximity to other equipment as well as people. It’s no wonder that (on a national level) powered haulage has resulted in almost half of all mining fatalities in recent years—including 13 of the 27 deaths in 2018 across the country and four of the 10 deaths to date nationally in 2019.

Powered haulage has become a leading cause of mining accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Fortunately, most powered haulage accidents are preventable:

  • A good safety plan will do everything possible to prevent accidents, and eliminate hazards through engineering practice and workers’ experience. It will establish rules and practices to keep workers safe and out of the line of fire when things do go wrong.

  • Anything mechanical can and will fail at some point. Think about where people will be when it does fail and how to keep them safe.
  • People are not perfect and can make mistakes. Failure to focus or pay attention from fatigue or distractions also leads to inattention and risk taking. Always maintain focus and attention whether you are the equipment operator or spectator.

  • Provide initial and refresher training for new as well as seasoned employees to remind them of the dangers of powered haulage on their jobsites. These accidents can happen to even the most experienced operators.
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Performing a Job Safety Analysis

A Job Safety Analysis (JSA), sometimes called job hazard analysis, is a formal process of identifying potential job hazards and developing hazard prevention measures.

Steps to performing a Job Safety Analysis include:

  1. Select the job to be analyzed
  2. Break down the job into a sequence of tasks or steps
  3. Identify the potential hazards at each step
  4. Develop preventative measures or safeguards to reduce or eliminate each potential hazard

Poisonous Plants

One of the most common workplace nuisances during the summertime are poisonous plants, particularly poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Touching the plant itself or anything that has the plant’s oil on it, such as gardening tools, sporting equipment, and pet’s fur, can cause an allergic reaction which may be mild or in some cases so severe that medical attention is necessary. It can also be inhaled if the poison plants are burned.

Poison Plants

Rash Prevention – Wearing long sleeves, long pants tucked into boots, and gloves when working around potential poison-ivy infested areas; an ivy block barrier cream may also protect your skin from absorbing the oil.  

Rash Treatment – Immediately rinse the affected skin with lukewarm, soapy water; wash your clothing and everything that may have the oil on its surface. Do not scratch, as scratching can cause an infection; Consider calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream.

Contributing Authors:

Thomas French - Mine & Cave Safety Program 

Amanda Bestgen - Missouri Workers' Safety Program

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Sign-Up for Mine & Cave Safety Training

Free on-site training and consultation are available, and will be tailored to your site. A brief consultation and inspection audit will be arranged by one of the Division's Mine Safety and Health Administration - (MSHA) certified instructors to determine your needs.

Consultation Services are offered on the following topics: safety and loss control, MSHA training plan, evacuation plans, ventilation plans, substance abuse, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hazard awareness, hazard elimination, job safety analysis, 30 CFR Parts 46, 48, 56, 57 and 77, accident investigation, revised Missouri statutes, and site inspections.

Owner/operators, contractors, sub-contractors, and vendors to the mining community can contact the Mine and Cave Safety Program at 573-522-2917 or minecavesafety@labor.mo.gov for more information.

Sign-up for Course Training: https://labor.mo.gov/DLS/minecave/course-registration

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Safety and Health Program Management Training – August 28

This is a free class offered by the Missouri On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program. Attendees will learn how to develop a fully functioning safety and health management program. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today! www.labor.mo.gov/safe

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