Miners Warned on Highwall Dangers

The Mine Safety and Health Administration is telling mine operators to train miners on recognizing highwall hazards and following procedures for their safe control, after a September incident that resulted in a miner sustaining permanently disabling injuries.
The miner was operating a Caterpillar 992K front-end loader beneath a roughly 50-foot section of highwall that fell, crushing the cab and pinning the miner’s legs under the dashboard.
Among the recommendations, the agency is advising miners to examine highwalls from the bottom, sides and crest before working or maneuvering near them.
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The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has updated the national voluntary consensus standard for construction and demolition sites, which it said are among the most hazardous work environments.
The standard now calls for each potential contractor to provide a report detailing safety staff assigned to a project, time allotted for safety and health training, a substance abuse program, and personal protective equipment and other resources anticipated for the project.
Safety training should include new hire orientation, job-specific and task-specific training, on-site safety meetings and regular re-training.
The revised standard also recommends the use of leading indicators to more accurately gauge workplace safety and health performance.
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A maintenance worker at Pebble Beach Golf Links was injured earlier this week when a mower he was riding slid off a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
He was reportedly working alongside the sixth hole at the fame course, along a seaside stretch that is widely regarded as one of golf’s most dramatic, bordered by approximately 75-foot high cliffs overlooking Stillwater Cove.
The maintenance worker was thrown from the mower, which tumbled down the embankment but did not hit the man.
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