The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued a “Close Call Accident Alert” after a June 19, 2017, accident involving a haul truck driver.
In the incident, MSHA said, a haul truck driver with six weeks of experience traveled into the pit loading area and waited to be loaded. The driver stopped the haul truck about 30 feet from where a supervisor had parked his van, the agency said. The supervisor had been giving instructions to excavator operators in the area, and he returned to his van as the loader operator sounded the horn to notify the driver to move the haul truck into position for loading. The truck driver drove forward, striking and pushing the supervisor’s van 30-to-40 feet. The supervisor got out of the van through the window, without any injuries.
Emphasize best practices, MSHA recommends that hauling operations:
-
Equip smaller vehicles with flags or strobe lights positioned high enough to be seen from the cabs of haulage trucks.
-
Before moving mobile equipment, be certain no one is in the intended drive path, sound the horn to warn unseen persons, and wait to allow them time to move to a safe location.
-
Ensure all persons are trained to recognize workplace hazards, particularly on limited visibility and blind areas inherent to operation of large equipment and the hazard of passenger vehicles traveling near heavy equipment.
-
Do not become distracted by using a cell phone to text or call while operating equipment.
