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BIN AND HOPPER SAFETY. PRESENTED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF DEEP MINE SAFETY. July 2001. SOME FACTS…. Approximately 14 deaths in the last 5 years in the mining industry.
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BIN AND HOPPER SAFETY PRESENTED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF DEEP MINE SAFETY July 2001
SOME FACTS… • Approximately 14 deaths in the last 5 years in the mining industry. • Approximately 42 deaths occurred between 1980 and 1988 attributed to bin and hopper accidents. (MSHA) • Primary cause of death… suffocation due to engulfment.
FACTS • A person caught in granular material up to his/her knees probably will not be able to free himself without help. Struggling movements may cause him/her to sink deeper into the pile. • A person trapped to the waist may require as much as 500 lb. Force to remove him. • A person trapped above the waist will quickly find it difficult to breathe as the material settles against him and restricts diaphragm and chest movement. • A person may be asphyxiated even though his head is not covered.
HAZARDS TO WORKERS IN AND AROUND BINS AND HOPPERS • Elevated structures pose fall hazards • Bridging over or clogging of a draw point may necessitate entry. A person may become trapped while trying to unclog the bridged material either from above or below. The material may suddenly break loose and entrap the worker.
HAZARDS • Any bin, hopper, silo, or pile of granular material may look deceptively harmless, however the center of the material may collapse suddenly. Free flowing material such as sand, coal, or limestone will, at any moment, increase its flow and move rapidly
HAZARDS • Bins and hoppers are often equipped with unloading equipment which may be started inadvertently drawing the worker into the material or equipment. • Bins larger than 20 feet in diameter pose greater hazards than smaller ones because of larger masses of material.
METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY -On July 27, 1999, a 36-year-old plant operator with 9 years mining experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation. The victim had entered the feed hopper, apparently to dislodge a build up of mud, when he was engulfed by material and suffocated.
METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On June 26, 1996, a highlift/plant operator with seven years of mining experience was killed at a sand and gravel operation. A section of wood decking on an elevated walkway collapsed when the employee jumped onto it from a height of about two feet. The employee fell into a bin below the walkway and was engulfed by fine gravel. He died from suffocation. This is the 26th fatality reported in calendar year 1996 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 1995, there were 21 fatalities reported in these industries. This death is the second fatality classified as slip/fall of person this year. There were also two slip/fall of person fatalities during the same period in 1995.
METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On April 25, 2001, a 36-year-old contract welder with 36 weeks mining experience was fatally injured at a granite operation. The victim had been working in and around a material bin and was discovered as the bin was being emptied.
ACCIDENTS • On the surface of an anthracite mine, two workmen climbed into the main material hopper to loosen jammed material. The men were standing at the discharge portion of the bin dislodging coal and refuse with picks and shovels when approximately 10 tons of material dislodged from above entrapping them, one to the chest, one to the waist. Both men were injured. Patches welded to the floor of the hopper had caused the material to stick and not flow freely contributing to the accident.
RULES AND REGS • 30 CFR 57.15002 Bins, hoppers, silos, tanks, and surge piles • (a) Bins, hoppers, silos, tanks, and surge piles, where loose unconsolidated materials are stored, handled or transferred shall be— • (a)(1) Equipped with mechanical devices or other means of handling materials so that during normal operations persons are not required to enter or work where they are exposed to entrapment by the caving or sliding of materials: and…
RULES AND REGS • (a)(2) Equipped with supply and discharge operating controls. The controls shall be located so that spills or overruns will not endanger persons. • (b) Where persons are required to move around or over any facility listed in this standard, suitable walkways or passageways shall be provided.
RULES AND REGS • (c) Where persons are required to enter any facility listed in this standard for maintenance or inspection purposes, ladders, platforms, or staging shall be provided. No person shall enter the facility until the supply and discharge of materials have ceased and the supply and discharge equipment is locked out. Persons entering the facility shall wear a safety belt or harness equipped with a lifeline suitably fastened. A second person, similarly equipped, shall be stationed near where the lifeline is fastened and shall constantly adjust it or keep it tight as needed, with minimum slack.
RULES AND REGS • 30 CFR 56.9312 WORKING AROUND DRAWHOLES • Unless platforms or safety lines are used, persons shall not position themselves over drawholes if there is danger that broken rock or material may be withdrawn or bridged. • 30 CFR 77.2204 Openings in surface installations: safeguard • Openings in surface installations through which men or material may fall shall be protected by railings, barriers, covers or other protective devices.
RULES AND REGS • 30 CFR 77.1700 Communications in work areas • No employee shall be assigned, or allowed, or be required to perform work alone in any area where hazardous conditions exist that would endanger his safety unless he can communicate with others, can be heard, or can be seen • 30 CFR 77.1710 (g) Safety belts and lines where there is danger of falling: a second person shall tend the lifeline when bins, tanks, or other dangerous areas are entered
… AND ACCORDING TO OSHA • Bins and hoppers are, and should be considered a “confined space”. A confined space is one which by design has limited openings for entry and exit; could contain dangerous air contaminants or oxygen deficiency; and which is not intended for continuous human occupancy. • Osha has extensive guidelines for confined space entry and require permits to do so.
CONSIDERATIONS • Lock out Tag out • Is a safety belt adequate protection? Better fall protection equipment is available such as harnesses and shock absorbing lanyards. • If a worker becomes trapped or injured, can one lifeline attendant safely rescue him/her? Most would have trouble pulling up a person’s dead weight and probably could not free him even if only engulfed to the knees.
CONSIDERATIONS • Hoppers can so designed to reduce need for entry. The feed angle of the bottom of the hopper should be steep enough to induce free flow and reduce clogs. Low friction materials can be used as liners. • The preferred installation will have a suspended and adjustable platform that can be lowered into place to allow work from above the trouble spot.
CONSIDERATIONS • A plan should be should be made for entry and rescue from bins and hoppers and be posted where workers can readily refer to it before starting such work. • Proper safety gear should be readily accessible. • All persons required to do such work should be properly trained and advised of the hazards.
CONSIDERATIONS • Bins and hoppers should be kept empty whenever possible, especially during extended shutdowns and during periods of subfreezing temperatures to reduce the chance of materials adhering to sides and floors which can cause jams.
