Mining Incidents

Other

Every reportable mining accident MSHA has classified under Other. Fatalities and serious injuries are the bulk of these records; some categories also include reportable non-injury events.

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Fatalities recorded
44
Total incidents
7,764
Fatal rate
1%

Top operators by fatality count

  1. 01 Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc 3fatal
  2. 02 Freeport-McMoRan Chino Mines Company 2fatal
  3. 03 Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc. 2fatal
  4. 04 Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. 2fatal
  5. 05 Alcoa World Alumina LLC 1fatal
  6. 06 BYK Additives Inc. 1fatal
  7. 07 Badger Mining Hixton, LLC 1fatal
  8. 08 Barry Industrial Sand, Inc 1fatal
  9. 09 Batenhorst Gravel Company 1fatal
  10. 10 CEMEX Construction Materials Atlantic, LLC 1fatal

Recent fatalities

August 22, 2024 PA · Metal/Non-Metal outside foreman, leadman Fatality · OTHER
Paguay Stone LLC · Drowning

A contractor was found in a shallow pool of water at the base of a highwall.

April 13, 2024 GA · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator Fatality · OTHER

Based on investigation to date, employee suffered a personal medical event (cardiac arrest). "Per Prelim: After washing a concrete pad, a miner drowned in a two-foot-deep pool of water."

August 18, 2023 WV · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss Fatality · OTHER

Employee was assisting in installing a discharge line from a pump when Employee did not respond to verbal calls, Supervisor went to check and found Employee face down and unresponsive.

February 25, 2023 TX · Metal/Non-Metal rotary bucket excavator operator Fatality · OTHER

326 FL Excavator operator tracked over berm into Settling pond

December 22, 2022 VA · Coal motorman, motor person, swamper, switchman, locomotive operator Fatality · OTHER
The Black Diamond Company · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

The sub-contractor was found unconscious in EE's vehicle by EE's co-worker. The car was locked, co-worker attempted to wake EE. Co-worker called 911, then got mine superintendent, who came to the scene, broke the window, removed EE from EE's car, and started CPR. EE was then pronounced deceased at the hospital.

November 5, 2022 TN · Metal/Non-Metal utility man, shift tech, service/dump truck operator Fatality · OTHER
CEMEX Construction Materials Atlantic, LLC · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings

Employee was operating front end loader in the coal shed. For unknown reasons employee left the loader and was engulfed in the coal pile near the grizzly bars for the feeding system.

October 7, 2022 RI · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman Fatality · OTHER
J R Vinagro Corporation · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings

A miner entered the air separator to clear a blockage. The miner became engulfed in the material.

September 28, 2022 NV · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer Fatality · OTHER
Western Nevada Materials · Struck by rolling or sliding object

Miner used a front-end loader to carve a path into stacked material, then exited the loader and entered the newly-carved path on foot. The newly-created unstable wall of the material collapsed and covered the miner, causing a fatality.

September 9, 2022 TX · Metal/Non-Metal barge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck hand Fatality · OTHER

Dredge operator was missing and eventually found at bottom of lake.

April 25, 2022 GA · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech Fatality · OTHER
Columbus Quarry LLC · Drowning

Complicated seizure disorder (not work related)

March 22, 2022 WI · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer Fatality · OTHER

A miner was servicing a floating pump. While working, the pump capsized, trapping the miner underwater.

December 6, 2021 FL · Metal/Non-Metal master mechanic, foreman, supervisor Fatality · OTHER
Palm Beach Aggregates LLC · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings

EE entered feeder when gate would not close. While cutting out a piece of metal that was blocking the slide gate, material sloughed off and engulfed the EE.

September 15, 2021 AZ · Metal/Non-Metal welder (non-shop) Fatality · OTHER
Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc. · Unclassified, insufficient data

Weld crew initiated an argon purge on a 30" pipe that had been fit up afternoon prior. When argon purge was established, two welders began to make their root pass welds. Upon inspection "sugaring" was observed. a welder entered the open end of the 30" pipe for unknown reasons where they were found by a coworker to be unresponsive. No witnesses observed them enter the pipe.

August 27, 2019 TX · Metal/Non-Metal stone finishing and sizing personnel, stone/rock cut/polish/saw operator, splitter, cutter, trimmer Fatality · OTHER
Premium Sandstone · Contact with electrical current

Was beginning to storm, miner was walking towards cover when EE was struck by lightning.

October 25, 2018 NM · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman Fatality · OTHER
Freeport-McMoRan Chino Mines Company · Struck against a moving object

Rollover accident/fatality/ongoing investigation.

July 15, 2015 GA · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator Fatality · OTHER
Thiele Kaolin Company · (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Contract employee entered rail car GATX 22394 at approximately 11:30 am, to wash out the rail car. At approximately 12:00, a Thiele employee went to check on him and observed him lying on the floor of the car. Emergency response was activated immediately. Employee was recovered from the rail car by EMS personnel and pronounced deceased.

June 17, 2014 TX · Metal/Non-Metal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver Fatality · OTHER
Holcim (Texas) LP · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

Truck driver entered empty bulk trailer tank for unknown reason, and was later discovered unresponsive inside the trailer.

April 18, 2014 WV · Coal security guard, watchman Fatality · OTHER

Security guard fell or slipped from the cab of his personal vehicle into a shallow diversion ditch at the base of a berm along a roadway. He was found with his face submerged in approx 12" of water. The death was drowning & that a contributory condition was marked alcohol intoxication. The case was not determined to be chargeable until December 22, 2014.

December 10, 2013 KY · Metal/Non-Metal barge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck hand Fatality · OTHER

Victim was last observed accessing the stern if barge NBN-611. Shortly after, he was noticed to be missing. Snow was present on the barge. Damage or impairment is unknown at this time.

February 26, 2012 KY · Coal barge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck hand Fatality · OTHER

A miner fell into the Tennessee River while attempting to take draft measurements on the barges parameter. EE had to cross from the permanent floating work-barge to the 1st empty barge EE was walking up-river on the barge. EE fell from the barge into the river workers immediately called for the Marshall County Rescue Squad.