Fatality Alert: Dragline falls into pond

On June 13, 2020, a dragline was found submerged in 25 feet of water where a miner had been using it to remove material from a pond. Divers attempted to locate the dragline operator, and after two days the dragline was extricated from the pond. The victim was recovered from the engine compartment behind the operator’s cab. The fatality, the ninth in 2020, was the second classified as “Machinery” related.

MSHA offers the following best practices to prevent these types of accidents: 

• Maintain control of operating mobile equipment.
• Keep all exits clear in cabs, including alternate and emergency exits, and make sure the doors open freely before beginning work.
• Retrofit older models of equipment with current automatic braking systems.
• Ensure all controls and brakes are set to the appropriate position for the task.