MSHA Fatality Alert for December 14, 2020
January 15, 2021 - On December 14, 2020, two miners died when a back failure occurred in a large four-way intersection. The miners were pumping sealing grout in the intersection when blocks of salt and anhydrite fell from beneath a slickenside onto the miners.
Best Practices
- In areas of excessive span or adverse geology:
- Install supplemental ground support to control strata movement.
- Install sag monitors or extensometers to detect ground movement or strata separation.
- Drill and evaluate test holes for strata separation using a borescope or scratch test.
- Use geologic hazard mapping to identify adverse conditions.
- Be alert to any change of ground conditions.
- Report hazardous or abnormal conditions.
- Perform thorough workplace examinations where miners work or travel.
- Identify and scale hazardous ground conditions from a safe location.
- Train miners to recognize hazards and follow safe work practices, especially before they perform new tasks.
Miners and mine operators can find safety and health information on MSHA.gov.