Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sling Out of Harms Way
Sling Out of Harms Way
Sling Out of Harms Way
District 9
RECOIL ACCIDENTS
• Two fatal recoil accidents in the past few
years.
• Many fatal accidents and non-fatal injuries
in the past few years as a result of recoil,
rigging, and come-a-long accidents.
• Significant number associated with
longwalls.
District 9
MAINTENANCE
The process of scheduling and
performing preventative
maintenance activities on wire
ropes and chains should be
reviewed-especially in preparation
for a longwall move!
District 9
Coal Mine Safety and Health
District 9
F-bar with Guards
Removing Shield from Face
COAL MINE FATALITY – January 3, 2004
A 44-year old longwall shearer operator with 26 years of mining experience was fatally injured while
attempting to advance a longwall shield. The longwall face was being mined through a setup room
containing cementatious "cutable" cribs. These cribs failed, causing many of the shields to fully
collapse. To advance the longwall, chains were attached from the collapsed shields to the panline.
Using two adjacent shields to push the panline, the collapsed shield was pulled forward with the
attached chains and the shield's double-acting ram. Miners were positioned on each of the three
affected shields to manually operate them. During this process, the chain hook broke. The remaining
part of the hook and the chain assembly recoiled, striking the miner operating the collapsed shield in
the head.
BEST PRACTICES
• Ensure that chain assemblies (rigging) are rated for the loads
being pulled. Consult the chain manufacturer to determine
chain assembly rated capacities and also required de-ratings
due to the geometry of the final rigging arrangement.
District 9
• Miners must think about how to do the task safely.
• All miners involved must be properly trained.
• Take the necessary time to find and use the correct
tools.
• We must assure that miners are not unfamiliar with the
task, job, or equipment. Persons take on tasks or are
assigned tasks that they are not trained and/or equipped
to perform.
• Supervisors and miners must communicate when there
are near misses. People don’t want others to know
about near misses. They become embarrassed because
they had erred due to inexperience, rushing, use of poor
judgment, or had their thoughts elsewhere. Just
because you didn’t get hurt does not mean that the next
person will be as lucky.
Coal Mine Safety and Health
District 9
SLINGS
1. Chain Slings
AND !
Coal Mine Safety and Health
District 9
METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY- On April 29, 1998, a 39-year old bull dozer
operator with 15 years of mining experience was fatally injured while attempting to tow a
truck that had become stuck. He backed the dozer to the rear of the truck and attached a
chain. In the process of pulling the truck out, the chain broke and struck the dozer
operator in the temple. He received severe head injuries and died several days later.
COAL MINE FATALITY - September 9, 2003
A 36-year old utility person with 4 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a
surface coal mine. The victim and a co-worker were using two pick-up trucks to assist
moving the power cable for an electric shovel that was being repositioned. One of the
trucks lost traction in a muddy area and a nylon tow rope was attached to a hook on
the truck's front end. The toe rope was then attached to a hook on the back of the
second pick-up. On the first attempt to pull the truck, the metal hook broke loose from
the hitch of the front truck, pierced the windshield of the rear truck and struck the
victim's head.
BEST PRACTICES
• Use only tested and approved mechanisms for pulling or
towing.
• Obtain approval of manufacturer for modifications to original
towing equipment.
• Ensure employees are properly instructed on proper towing
practices.
• Ensure vehicles have sufficient traction for surface conditions.
• Conduct audits (observations) of specific tasks to ensure
proper techniques are employed and tools/materials are
maintained.
• Never exceed the rated capacity of a tow vehicle or towing
equipment.
• Use hands-on training specific to the individual task.
• Communicate & prepare pre-task check of materials and
techniques for every application.
Coal Mine Safety and Health
District 9
• Known hazards tend to become routine
which tends to promote complacency.
This complacency may not allow us to
acknowledge the hazards or identify
changes that can affect our safety.
District 9
TAKE INTO ACCOUNT:
• WEIGHT OF LOAD
Remember, the wider the sling legs are spread apart, the less
the sling can lift!
1000 lbs Lift Capacity 707 lbs Lift Capacity 500 lbs Lift Capacity
Coal Mine Safety and Health
District 9
Reeving through connections to load
increases load on connections fitting
by as much as twice.DO NOT REEVE!
District 9
NEVER SHOCK LOAD A
SLING!
COAL MINE FATALITY – June 9, 2003
A 49-year old supervisor with 29 years mining experience was fatally injured when he was thrown from
the elevated bucket of a Simon-Telect 42-foot aerial bucket truck. The victim and two other miners were
dismantling a de-energized electrical substation on the surface area of an underground mine. To secure
a steel "I-Beam" structure, a nylon rope was attached between the bucket of the aerial lift and the steel
structure. After the steel structure was disconnected from the substation, the rope broke, causing the
aerial bucket to shift suddenly, throwing the victim out of the bucket. The victim fell 28 feet 11 inches to
the ground. The steel "I-Beam" structure then rolled onto the raised frame of the aerial bucket truck.
BEST PRACTICES
• Use appropriate fall protection, including safety
harnesses and safety lines, where there is a danger of
falling.
• Use equipment for its intended purpose and within the
design specifications of the manufacturer.
• Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment prior to
operation and ensure that outriggers and equipment are
ready for intended use.
• Size ropes/slings for maximum load applications and
protect them from being cut when a load is applied.
• Ensure that all workers are properly trained in the task to
be preformed, such as hoisting, rigging, equipment
design capabilities, etc.
District 9
COAL MINE FATALITY – November 9, 2004
A 55-year-old company president, with 30 years of experience, was fatally injured when he
was crushed between a front end loader and a tractor-trailer truck. The end loader was
being moved into position to allow the victim to connect a steel cable from it to the truck.
The end loader was going to be used to pull the tractor-trailer up the haul road, and was
stopped a short distance from the truck. While the victim was connecting the cable to the
truck, the end loader inadvertently rolled back and crushed him against the truck.
BEST PRACTICES
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CONNECTIONS
District 9
METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY – March 24, 2003
A 46-year-old supervisor with 8 years mining experience was fatally injured on the surface
at an underground stone mine. A crane was lifting steel plates that were to be used as
conveyor belt take-up weights. The victim was positioning the plates when the rigging
failed and the plates crushed him
BEST PRACTICES
District 9
IMPROPER USE OF
CHAINS
•TWISTED
•BOLTED TOGETHER
METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY – January 13, 2003
A 62-year-old supervisor with 26 years mining experience was fatally injured at a cement plant. The
victim was standing 9 feet above ground level at a door opening discussing the progress of repairs with
another foreman standing outside on a concrete pad at ground level. The victim was leaning on the top
chain handrail that was installed across the door opening. Apparently as the victim exerted outward
pressure against the chain, the chain link slipped off the grab hook attachment on the removable
end of the chain causing him to fall 9 feet to the concrete pad.
BEST PRACTICES
District 9
Wire Rope Clips
District 9
Chain Sling Inspection Items
• Links that are bent,
stretched, cracked, or
gouged.
BROKEN STITCHING
District 9
BUNCHING PINCHING
A 51-year-old master welder with 30 years mining experience was fatally injured in a shop
at a surface stone mine. The victim was fabricating a screen tower section. Using an
overhead bridge crane, he was positioning the 3-beam, right side component for assembly.
While the victim was standing on the bottom beam, communicating with the crane operator
and positioning a chain sling, the load shifted and fell, crushing him.
BEST PRACTICES
• Discuss work procedures and identify all hazards
associated with the work to be performed along with the
methods to protect personnel.
District 9
Other Suggestions
Use sheave wheels or pads to pull around corners.
District 9
Equipment with winches should be equipped with
guarding for the operator.
District 9
COAL MINE FATALITY - On Friday, September 3, 1999, a preparation plant mechanic
and another employee were using a material hoist to lift a 55 gallon drum to the third floor
of the preparation plant. When the mechanic reached out to guide the suspended drum to
the third floor, a corroded railing gave way and he fell approximately 50 feet to the ground
floor of the preparation plant.
District 9
Non Fatal Accident
CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT BLINDS MAN
A Texas man is a lucky to be alive after a construction accident involving a large hook.
The hook was attached to a backhoe when it hit Gail Cook in the left temple and eye back
in December. X-rays show how it lodged in Cook's head, stopping within millimeters of
his brain. Surgeons in San Antonio were able to remove the hook. But both optic nerves
were severed. The accident has left Cook blind, but also thankful to be alive.
USA, Action News
Non Fatal Accidents
• Employee was removing the wire ropes from the drag drum when a
2 inch nylon sling broke and recoiled striking them in the head,
knocking them unconscious. The wire rope tugger was being used
to pull the rope slack toward the rear of the machine when the nylon
sling appears to have been cut by the threads of an inch and a half
bolt on the drum clamp.
• Three employees were working to pull the tailgate drive back. The
gob plate was attached to the shield with chains. As they started to
pull, one of the chains broke and struck the employee in the face,
causing a fracture to the cheek and a laceration requiring stitches.
District 9
Near Miss Accident
District 9
CONCLUSIONS
• Maintain Communications!!
Remember, the longer the sling, the wider the recoil radius!
District 9
QUESTIONS:
• Do you think that an individual’s actions should
be reviewed in accident investigations?
• Do you think that an individual’s actions are a
common denominator for some of our most
recent accidents?
• If so, how do we fix this?
• How can we motivate people to make the correct
choices?
• Any other comments or suggestions?
Coal Mine Safety and Health
District 9
Any person with questions, or would like to make additional
comments/suggestions, please contact MSHA’s District 9 office at:
Telephone: 303-231-5458
Fax: 303-231-5553
District 9