Tuesday, January 27, 2015

The Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Our thanks go out to Ellen Smith, the editor of Mine Safety and Health News who compiled an ongoing list of miners who have died on the job in 2014. We reported a few of the individuals but many on her list we were not aware of. We have opted to post the full list of miners in memoriam.  

January 16 - Davis County, WV - 20 year old Daniel Lambka was a general inside laborer working at Mettiki Coal WV LLC's Mountain View Mine when he became pinned against the rib by a coal feeder in the underground mine.

February 1 - Iron County, UT - 56 year old Mark Rowley was a belt operator who became entangle in a belt conveyor. He was working for the surface iron ore mine, Mountain Lion Mine, operated by Gilbert Development Corp. (Steve L. Gilbert) under contract to CML Metals (Luxor Capital Group LP/Palladon Ventures Ltd).

February 21 - Buchanan County, VA - 24 year old Arthur "D.J." Gelentser III was a continuous miner operator at the underground coal mine, Dominion Coal Corp. (SunCoke Energy Inc.) Mine No. 30 when he became caught between a continuous mining machine and coal rib.

February 21 - Jefferson County, KY - 37 year old Felipe Vizcaya was a laborer who fell into an open elevator shaft while working as an Independent Contractor for Personal Touch Enterprises LLC at a surface cement plant Cemex Inc. / Kosmos Cement Company.

February 28 - Story County, IA -  27 year old Courtney Johnston was a service technician working as an independent contractor for Interstate Powers Systems, Inc., an underground limestone mine, when he fell from a scaling machine under repair. He was working at Martin Marietta Inc.'s Ames Mine. 

February 28 - Suffold County, NY - 50 year old Declan Boland was working for John B. Tintle's East Coast Mines Ltd. when he was engulfed in backfill material at the surface sand and gravel mine. He was a mechanic/safety director.

March 25 - Gibson County, IN - 41 year old Timothy Memmer was a mechanic trainee working at the underground coal mine Gibson Mine when he became pinned between parts of a coal feeder during repair. The mine owner was Gibson County Coal LLC (Alliance Resource Partners LLC).

March 27 - Virginia Beach, VA - 64 year old Robert Devich was a manager for a sand dredging operation owned by John M. Baillio dba Baillio Sand Co., Inc. when he was struck by a 200 foot long pipe at Lord Farm #5.

April 11 - Genevieve County, MO - 53 year old John Hahl was working for Mississippi Lime Company's Sainte Genevieve Mine as a utility/boom operator when he was struck by falling rib rock in the underground limestone mine.

April 11 - Genevieve County, MO - 29 year old Christopher Rawson was working for Mississippi Lime Company's Sainte Genevieve Mine as a utility/boom operator and died when he was struck by falling rib rock in the underground limestone mine.

April 17 - Wabaunsee County, KS - 58 year old Harold Steege was a truck driver working for Hafenstine Construction at Hafenstine Plant #1 when he was struck by an excavator bucket. 

April 18 - Kanawha County, WV - 58 year old Tommy Reynolds was a security guard who drowned in a water filled ditch. He was an independent contractor for Allied Security working at the surface coal facility, Law River Col., LLC (L.W. Hamilton/Warren Hylton), Crown Hill Dock.

April 24 - Pointe Coupee Parish, LA - 50 year old James Gibson III was a dozer operator who was thrown from a bulldozer while working at the surface clay mine, Big River Industries (CRH Plc), Gravelite Division. He was an independent contractor for Craig Neal and Sons LLC. 

April 28 - Elko County, NV - 53 year old Richard Otto was working for Klondex Mine Operations, Inc. (Klondex Mines Ltd), Midas Mine when he died after becoming entangled in drill steel at the underground gold mine.

May 1 - Pershing County, NV - 57 year old William "Mitch" Hill was president and co-owner of the Silver State Minerals LLC Gypsum Mountain Mine. He died after the all terrain vehicle he was on overturned.

May 9 - Gaines County, TX - 20 year old Miguel Nino was working as a groundman when he became entangled in a mobile conveyor at a surface sand and gravel mine. The mine was owned by Mississippi Sand LLC, Seagraves plant. 

May 12 - Boon County, WV - 46 year old Gary Hensley was a roof bolter/mobile roof support operator when he was struck by a coal outburst during retreat mining at the underground coal mine. He was working at the Brody Mine No. 1 (aka Black Stallion Mine) owned by Brody Mining LLC (Patriot Coal Corp). 

May 12 - Boone County, WV - 48 year old Eric Legg was a continuous miner operator when he was struck by a coal outburst during retreat mining at the underground coal mine Brody Mine No. 1 (aka Black Stallion Mine). The mine is owned by Brody Mining LLC (Patriot Coal Corp.)

May 14 - Franklin County, IL - 25 year old William Daniel Payne was killed when he was pinnede between a roof bolting machine and coal rib while working as a roof bolter for the underground coal mine MC #1 mine, aka Foresight Energy's Sugar Camp Complex. M-Class Mining LLC (Coal field Transport, or Coal Field Transports, Inc., exclusive contractor for Foresight Energy).

June 2 - Shoshone County, ID - 36 year old Nicholas Rounds was a shaft repairman at an underground silver mine, Sunshine Mine, when he was caught between an ore car and shaft timber. The mine's owner is Silver Opportunity Partners LLC (Sunshine Silver Mines Corp.)

June 4 - Campbell County, WY - 25 year old Joshua Wishard was an independent contractor for Rogers Construction Inc., at a surface coal mine when he was caught in a rock crusher machine. The coal mine: Peabody Powder River LLC (Peabody Energy), North Antelope Rochelle. 

June 18 - Chesterfield County, SC - 41 year old Christopher Melton was a production supervisor at a surface sand and gravel mine, Hanson Aggregates Southeast LLC (HeidelbergCement AG), Brewer Sand, when he died after the explosion of a slurry pump that was being repaired. 

June 23 - Big Horn County, MT - 58 year old Stewart "Randy" Orcutt was a haul truck driver at a surface coal mine when his truck went through a berm and fell to the trench bottom. He worked for Spring Creek Coal LLC (Cloud Peak Energy Inc.), Spring Creek Coal Co.

July 21 - Colleton County, SC - 28 year old Kyle Martin was an assistant plant manager for Murray Mines Inc. (James O. Murray Jr.) when he suffered a fatal electric shock inside an aluminum boat during a sand and gravel dredge.

July 23 - Hernando County, FL - 51 year old Ismael Santana was a truck driver who was struck by a front end loader while working as an independent contractor for New Line Transport/Tri-State Carriers/Cemex Tri-State Carriers Transportation Service. He was struck at the surface crushed-limestone operation, Cemex Brooksville South Cement Plant. 

August 2 - Valley County, MT - 53 year old Robert Irwin was a plant operator for Fossum Ready Mix, Belzer Plant, when he was caught under a falling dump truck bed under repair at the the surface sand and gravel mine.

August 20 - Buchanan County, VA - 41 year old Michael "Buddy" Justice was a maintenance supervisor who suffered an electric shock while troubleshooting a roof bolter at the Buchanan Mine #1, an underground coal mine owned by CONSOL Buchanan Mining Co. LLC (CONSUL Energy Inc.)

August 25 - St. Lawrence County, NY - 54 year old Glenn Dibble was working at a limestone operation, Gardenscape of New York (David George Kasmoch) as a truck driver when he fell from a stack of pallets. 

September 15 - Walker County, AL - 53 year old Barry Duncan was a bulldozer operator at Manchester Mine when the dozer went off a high-wall at the surface coal mine owned by Black Warrior Minerals Inc. (Roger W. and Rance Perry/Leah Perry-Haynie). 

September 16 - Carbon County, UT - 46 year old Alejandro Ramirez was a shuttle car operator when he was caught in the pinch point of a loader while setting roof supports. He worked at the underground coal mine, West Ridge Mine, owned by West Ridge Resources, Inc. (Robert E. Murray).

September 26 - Harris County, TX - 55 year old Mark Benoit was a maintenance mechanic at the Hockley Mine when he was struck by a forklift being repaired at a surface area of the underground salt mine owned by United Salt Corp. (Texas United Corp.).

October 7 - Bell County, KY - 31 year old Justin Mize was a utility man at Tinsley Branch HWM 61 when he was struck by rock after entering a high-wall opening at the underground area of the surface coal mine. The mine is owned by Commonwealth Mining LLC (Cox Enterprises/LC Management).

October 10 - Berks County, PA - 66 year old Lance Laity was an independent contractor truck driver for F.T. Silfies when he fell between the bulk truck and a loading rack. He was working at the surface Evansville cement plant, Lehigh Cement Co. LLC (HeidelbergCement AG).

Octobber 18 - Campbell County, WY - 51 year old Darwin Reimer was an independent truck driver for Dennis McCoy and Sons working at a surface coal mine when the truck went over a high-wall. He was working at Peabody Powder River Mining LLC, North Antelope Rochelle. 

November 10 - Monongalia County, WV - 49 year old Raymond Savage was working at an underground coal mine, Red Bone Mining Co. Crawdad No. 1 Mine as a section foreman when he was hit by falling roof rock while operating a bolting machine. 

November 10 - Floyd County, VA - 45 year old Carl Hixon was a crusher operator who was struck by a flying drill bit as it came unstuck. He was working at the surface crushed-granite operation, R&S Stone Inc. (Terri Reed Smith/Terry Garth Reed). 

November 18 - Calhoun County, TX - 42 year old Jerry McClelland was a job site supervisor who became pinned by the fall of a load suspended from a crane. He was an independent contractor for Turner Industries Group LLC at a surface alumina plant, Alcoa World Alumina LLC, Bayer Alumina Plant. 

November 25 - Pike County, PA - 67 year old James Crane was a truck driver operating a dump truck that went backwards over the edge of a dump site. He was working at the surface crushed-sandstone operation, Edwards Sand & Stone (George F. Edwards, Jr.), South Sterling Quarry.

December 1 - Sandusky County, OH - 46 year old Darwin Glover was an independent contractor for Mark's Excavating & Trucking when his vehicle fell into a mine pond at Millersville Quarry. This was a surface crushed-limestone operation operated by MGQ Aggregates Inc. (Tim E. Bell). 

December 16 - Union County, KY - 34 year old Eli Eldridge was a repairman working at Highland 9 Mine when he was struck by a coal hauler. This is an underground coal mine owned by Highland Mining Co LLC (Patriot Coal Corp.).

December 29 - McMullen County, TX - 21 year old Adrian Moreno was a warehouse bagger who died when his forklift overturned while he worked at a surface clay operation at Zeotech Corp. (O. Paul Leonard, Jr.) Tilden Plant. 

















 
















 

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