COMMONLY CITED SURFACE M/NM STANDARDS

#1 Lack of Guarding 56/ (a)

On June 1, 2002, a 32 year-old conveyor attendant with 5 years mining experience was fatally injured at an open pit copper operation. The victim became entangled in a tripper conveyor pulley.

On September 23, 2002, a 43 year-old plant operator with 17 months experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim was removing fines that had packed around a winged tail pulley of a belt that had been buried by spillage. As the spillage was removed, the bound conveyor belt moved backward a short distance and caught the victim's arm between the belt and the tail pulley.

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance:   Are moving machine parts guarded?   Is the equipment or machinery in service?   Does the guard prevent contact by persons?   Does the guard extend a distance sufficient to prevent a person from reaching behind and making contact?   Is the guard close enough to the machine part to prevent a person from getting behind the guard and making contact?

#2 Horns/backup Alarms Maintained 56/ a On October 30, 2003, a 22-year-old equipment operator, with 1½ years experience, was fatally injured at a surface stone operation. The victim was following a front-end loader in his personal pickup truck on a single lane mine road. The front-end loader stopped and backed over the pickup, fatally injuring the driver.

On January 24, 2002, a 62 year-old laborer with 20 years mining experience was fatally injured at a crushed stone operation. The victim exited a building during a heavy rain and was crossing a plant roadway when he was apparently struck by the bucket edge of a front-end loader. Should he have used his horn??

On September 29, 2003, a 55-year-old dredge operator, with 32 years experience, was fatally injured at a surface sand and gravel mine. The victim exited a control booth, located adjacent to a dump hopper, and walked down the hopper ramp. At the same time, a front end loader operator dumped a load at the hopper, backed down the ramp, and struck the victim

Was a manually operated horn provided on this equipment? Does the mobile equipment have an obstructed view to the rear? If yes, was one of the following provided: Automatic backup alarm; or Wheel mounted bell alarm (metal and nonmetal); or Discriminating back-up alarm; or An observer Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Can the horn and backup alarm be heard over the surrounding noise? Was the self-propelled mobile equipment operated at night? If yes, does the equipment have a functional reverse-activated strobe light in lieu of an audible backup alarm of the type described above?

And even if back-up alarms do work, there are still other hazards!

#3 Failure to Correct defects in a Timely manner 56/ (b) #3 Failure to Correct defects in a Timely manner 56/ (b)

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Does the defect create a hazard to persons? Does the defect affect equipment, machinery, or tools? Would the defect create a hazard if the equipment, machinery, or tools were placed into operation in this condition? If left uncorrected, would the defect create a hazard to someone at some future time under certain conditions? Has the defective equipment, machinery, or tools been scheduled for repair before the defective condition(s) noted above would occur? Was the equipment inspected prior to being placed into operation? Has the defect been recorded? Would continued operation of the equipment, machinery, or tools be hazardous to persons? Has the equipment, machinery, or tools been taken out of service?

#4 Parking brakes not maintained 56/ (a)(2) When you park it, will it stay parked?

Hope these parking brakes are in good condition. This is not the way to chock a wheel!

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Are the parking and service brakes capable of stopping and/or holding the equipment with its typical load on the maximum grade it travels? Are all braking systems functional and maintained in good condition? Does the air or hydraulic pressure bleed off after one or more applications to the point where the braking system will no longer stop or hold the equipment on the maximum grade it travels? Are all brake cylinders and system devices functional and hooked up? Are all in-cab brake actuators (levers, buttons, etc.) functional? Are all in-cab gauges, indicators, low-air lights functional? Do brake retarders function properly?

#5 Guards not Securely in Place 56/ (b)

Is this securely fastened? Could it withstand the vibrations of normal operation?

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Was the guard built to retain its integrity during normal operation? Was substantial material used to construct the guard? If the guard was removed for maintenance, was it replaced and secured? Was the guard secured properly to prevent persons from contacting moving machine parts? Was the guard designed, constructed, and installed to prevent the creation of hazards to persons?

#6 Insulation & fittings around Power Wires & Cables 56/

Is this YOUR power tool?

What's wrong with this picture?

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Are wires and cables adequately insulated where they pass into or out of electrical compartments? Are wires or cables free of chafing, nicks, or wear where they enter into or exit electrical compartments? Was insulation replaced on wires or cables following installation or a repair? Do cables enter metal frames of motors, splice boxes, or electrical compartments through fittings designed for that purpose? Is a substantial bushing installed where wires, other than cables, pass through metal frames?

#7 Lack of Berms 56/ a Berms need to be mid-axel height of largest vehicle on roadway.

Elevated roads need berms or guardrails. An elevated road is any road with a drop-off of sufficient height to cause a vehicle to tip over.

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: If the drop-off is of sufficient grade or depth to cause a vehicle to overturn or endanger persons in the equipment: Is a berm or guardrail installed? Is the berm or guardrail mid-axle height to the largest vehicle that usually travels the road? If there are openings in the berms for water drainage: Are the openings small enough to impede vehicles using the road? If the roadway is infrequently traveled or used only by service or maintenance vehicles? If berms or guardrails are not installed on roads traveled by service or maintenance vehicles, does the roadway have locked gates at all entry points?

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Continued Are signs posted at appropriate locations to indicate that berms or guardrails are not present? Are delineators installed and visible along the perimeter of the elevated roadway in both directions of travel? Are reflective surfaces of at least three delineators along each elevated shoulder always visible to the driver and spaced at intervals sufficient to indicate the edge and height of the roadway? Is a maximum speed limit posted and observed for any elevated, unbermed portions of the roadway? Is the speed limit being observed? Have measures been taken to provide traction in inclement weather?

#8 Electrical Conductors of Sufficient size

Are Conductors also protected from mechanical damage?

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Are conductors large enough so that they will not heat up and damage the insulating materials? Are conductors protected from mechanical damage such as vehicular traffic, chafing points on conveyor frames, motors, etc.? If conductors are exposed to mechanical damage, are they protected with suitable conduit, bridging, outer jackets, slings, etc.?

#9 Testing Grounding Systems

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Are electrical grounding systems being installed? Are electrical grounding systems being repaired? Are grounding systems being modified? Are the above grounding systems tested annually or after one of the noted events? Are the most recent resistance test results available to an Authorized Representative of the Secretary of Labor?

#10 Safe Access to Workplace 56/

So, who is safer?

Hazardous Stairs?

Tripping hazard (Housekeeping Violation, too.)

Issues to Consider in Determining Compliance: Is permanent or temporary access provided to all working places? Are miners climbing the equipment or machinery to access work places? Are fall-of-person hazards created by a lack of a stairway, ladder, ramp, etc.? Are handholds provided, if necessary? Are crossovers or crossunders provided where needed?