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90 • ROCK products • August 2018 www.rockproducts.com Fatality #6 – On June 23, a 39-year-old electrician with 10 weeks of experience was fatally injured while trying to stop runaway railcars at Superior Silica Sands' San Antonio Plant. The miner ran to the front of a set of moving railcars and jumped on in order to set the hand brake. The miner then attempted to jump clear and was fatally injured when he was run over by the moving railcars. This is the sixth fatality reported in calendar year 2018 in metal and nonmetal mining. As of this date in 2018, there were four fatalities reported in metal and nonmetal mining. This is the first Non-Powered Haulage fatality in 2018. There were no Non-Powered Haulage fatalities during the same period in 2017. MSHA recommends the following Best Practices: • Apply a mechanical hand brake to ensure a railcar does not move when it is stopped for loading, unloading or storage. Use wheel chocks or derail devices for added protection against accidental movement. • Never attempt to mount, crossover, cross under or dis- mount a railcar while it is moving. • Train personnel in the safe procedures of working with railcars. Establish safe work procedures and ensure all personnel involved communicate clearly with each other. MSHA News MSHA announced it is seeking data on technologies that can improve safety conditions for America's miners. MSHA's Request for Information (RFI) focuses on reducing acci- dents involving mobile equipment at surface mines, and belt conveyors at surface and underground mines. The RFI is available at the Federal Register. "The Trump administration is committed to the health and safety of America's miners. Through the deployment of modern technologies, such as proximity detection, we can help ensure that miners return home safely at the end of their shifts," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health David G. Zatezalo. "MSHA is also interested in learning more about how seat belts can be more widely used in mining operations to prevent injuries." Mobile equipment at surface operations includes bulldozers, front-end loaders and trucks, while belt conveyors are used to transport materials in surface and underground mines. The RFI is part of a larger initiative that MSHA is undertak- ing to reduce accidents involving powered haulage – which includes haul trucks, front-end loaders and other large vehi- cles – as well as belt conveyors. As part of this effort, MSHA plans to hold stakeholder meet- ings and will provide technical assistance, and develop best practices and training materials to raise awareness of haz- ards related to mobile equipment and belt conveyors. The agency also may consider engineering controls that increase the use of seatbelts, enhance equipment operators' ability to see all areas near the machine, warn equipment operators of potential collision hazards, prevent an equip- ment operator from driving over the edge of a highwall or dump point, and help prevent hazards related to working near moving belt conveyors. The Federal Register will publish a separate notice at a later date in which MSHA will announce the dates and locations of stakeholder meetings. Aggregates Operations Safer Than Retail Stores According to the most current data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is safer to work in a quarry than a retail store. Preliminary estimates indicate that aggregates operations attained a new record low injury rate in 2017, according to MSHA. This year's rate is estimated at 1.74 per 200,000 hours worked, marking the 17th consecutive year that the rate improved. This translates to less than two reportable injuries for a workforce of 100 miners over the course of a year. The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) recently met with MSHA Administrator Zatezalo, deputy secretaries and a senior advisor to discuss the aggre- gates industry's demonstrated commitment to safety and compliance. Aggregates Industry Almanac MSHA Report