Belt Conveyor Safety Alert - 1
Belt Conveyor Safety Alert - 1
Belt Conveyor Safety Alert - 1
There have been eight fatalities involving belt conveyors in the mining industry since January 26, 2017.
Six involved miners working near moving conveyors, while two involved maintenance of an idle
conveyor. All of these fatalities could have been prevented with proper lock-out/tag-out and blocking
against motion before working. The most recent fatality, involving a miner coming in contact with a
moving conveyor, is under investigation.
On December 23, 2019, a miner on a belt move crew was fatally injured while removing a splice pin
from a 72-inch mainline conveyor. A belt gripper and a ratchet-style come-along failed, releasing stored
energy in a tightly stretched portion of the belt, causing the belting to suddenly become taut and shift
upward, pinning the miner between the belt and frame of the belt tailpiece.