Safety Characteristics at Mine Construction Sites

Construction safety management is a matter of great interest and concern.  These concerns are generated mainly from the high fatality figures and the growing cost implications of accidents in construction.  The analysis of fatalities is a major tool in the development of safe practices in the construction industry.  This paper assesses safety performance at mine construction sites through the analysis of accident and fatality records from these sites, as recorded by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Variables studied include the age, years of experience and trade of the worker.  The objective is to analyze safety characteristics and practices which are peculiar to mine construction sites, with the belief that such analysis will lead to better understanding and improvement of safety on these construction sites.

Key Words:  Safety, Fatality, Accident, Mines Construction Sites, OSHA

Introduction 

The construction industry is very important to the United States economy.  It represents a $1.1 trillion domestic market (12% of GDP) and a $3.4 trillion global market.  It also provides nine million jobs or about 6.7% of employment in the United States.  Despite its magnitude, there are numerous unmet industry and public safety needs in construction. Statistical data have shown construction to be the most dangerous and deadly industry in the United States, with a 15% worker injury rate, even though construction workers account for only 6 - 7% of the total labor force (Barrie and Paulson, 1984).  Data collected between 1980 and 1984, showed that construction workers incurred about 20% of all work-related fatalities (Engineering News Record, 1986), and recent data indicated an increase in this figure. Also, a recent study showed that nearly 1,200 construction workers were killed in the United States during 1998, which was up 25% from 1992. 

The safety practices and problems encountered on construction sites are as varied as the sites themselves.  At mining construction sites, peculiar problems associated with mines and the mining industry could be encountered.  A mine is broadly described as an area of land and all private roads leading to it, structures, facilities, machinery, tools, equipment, shafts, slopes, tunnels, excavations and other property constructed on it to facilitate the exploration, development and extraction of organic or inorganic minerals from their natural deposits.  Work at mine construction sites usually involves either the construction of new facilities, facility maintenance, re-build, or modification.  The common job-site hazards typically involved in such work, result in a relatively high frequency and severity of worker injuries and fatalities from accidents, which occur at the sites.  An accident is any unplanned event that results in personal injury or in property damage. The failure of people, equipment, or surroundings to behave or react as expected is the cause of most accidents.  All accidents should be investigated, regardless of the extent of injury or damage because accident investigations determine how and why these failures occur.  By using information gained through an investigation, a similar or perhaps more disastrous accident may be prevented. 

Safety in the construction industry is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the United States Department of Labor, established by the OSHA Act of 1970. In the mining industry, safety is regulated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) of the United States Department of Labor, which was established in 1978 and whose duties are spelled out in the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.  Generally, OSHA Standards for the Construction Industry (29 CFR Part 1926) and the Mine Act of 1977 are the major governing safety standards at mine construction sites.   

Fatality Data Analysis

Fatality records ("Fatalgrams") were obtained from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) of the United States Department for Labor.  Fatalities recorded in these "fatalgrams" occurred during construction related mining works.  A total of, sixty-six (66) cases involving sixty-nine (69) fatalities, and seven (7) non-fatalities were randomly selected from these "fatalgrams" for this study.  The selected incidents occurred over a twenty-year time period, from 1981 - 2000.  

A case study of all 66 incidences and 69 fatalities was carried out using detailed accident information from the MSHA “Fatalgrams” [Mine Safety and Health Administration, 1980-2000].  These accidents were classified as follows: 

Type 1:    Accident Classification by Type of Accident

Type 2:    Accident Classification by Machinery or Non Machinery Involvement

Following the accident classification, an analysis of the fatality data was performed using five (5) categories of variables:

Fatality Analysis by Type of Accident 

The result of fatality analysis by type of accident, using the above classifications, is shown in Table 1.  The result indicated that two categories of accident, “Fall of Ground” and “Struck By”, accounted for most fatalities with each at 26 percent of the total fatalities.  Results in Table 2 showed that accidents involving the operation of heavy machinery were more frequent and resulted in 55 percent of the fatalities analyzed. 

Fatality Analysis by Worker Age Group 

The ages of the workers involved in accidents at mine construction sites were recorded in various age groups.  Results of accident type and fatality analysis by age group are presented in Table 3.  This analysis showed that workers who are within the 18 - 30 years age group were the most frequently involved in fatal accidents.  Further analysis indicated that "Caught In or Between" accidents and accidents involving machinery operation were most common for that age bracket while workers between the ages of 31- 40 were mostly involved in "Fall of Ground" accidents. 

Fatality Analysis by Work Experience 

Results for fatality analysis by workers’ years of experience in the industry are shown in Table 4.  Workers with work experience from 0 – 5 years had the most involvement in fatal accidents, accounting for 46 percent of the total fatality figures.  The analysis carried out also indicated that most fatalities involving operation of heavy machinery occurred with workers who had 0 - 5 years of experience, and "Struck by" accidents were also most frequent for workers within this range of experience. 

Fatality Analysis by Worker Trade 

Fatality analysis results for the different worker trades are presented in Table 5. This analysis showed that Operating Engineers were involved in most of the fatalities (about 42%) in this study, and Truck Drivers were involved in about 12%.  This indicates that fatality rates are highest for workers operating trucks and heavy machinery.  This is a notable trend because operating engineers and truck drivers work together in most of the cases studied. 

Safety Characteristics 

Accidents are usually complex and may have several events as possible causes.  A detailed analysis of an accident will normally reveal three cause levels, namely: basic, indirect, and direct. The direct cause is usually the result of one or more unsafe acts or unsafe conditions, or both. Some factors common to the fatalities analyzed in this study are shown below. 

Factors Common in Fatalities:

Conclusion

Most construction work is risky by the nature of the operation. However, better understanding of the characteristics and proper investigation of all possible causes could lead to drastic reduction in future accidents and most importantly to near zero fatality.  The results from fatality analysis on the sample data set indicated some trends and patterns, which require further investigation.  Some of the important results from the analysis showed that: (1) “Fall of Ground” and “Struck By” types of accidents caused the most fatalities; (2) Operation of heavy machinery by less experience workers lead to most fatalities; (3) and young workers were more involved in fatality accidents than older workers.  This could be related to being inexperience or simply having the higher proportion of this age group involved in construction work.  Therefore, these results have to be tested and built upon to produce better and more pertinent interpretations.  Although the results shown above are for mine construction sites they could be extended to other construction sites and could identify crucial safety related factors, which could be improved upon for better safety control and management on these sites. 

References

Barrie, D. S. & Paulson, B.C., Jr. (1984). Professional Construction Management, (2^nd ed.)New York: McGraw-Hill

Engineering News Record (1986).  Construction tops Injury list, Engineering News Record (ENR), 217(22), 69.

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) (1980-2000). Fatality Records. Washington, DC

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (1985-1990). Analysis of Construction Fatalities, The OSHA database 1985-1990. Washington, DC