Quarry & Aggregate Workers
Sand and gravel pits, stone quarries and crushing plants are regulated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), not OSHA, and have their own training and inspection rules.
- Mining
- Aggregates
Top hazards
- Haul truck and mobile equipment collisions and rollovers, especially at berms and dump points
- Conveyor entanglement. See Conveyors.
- Crusher and screen maintenance without lockout
- Falls from plant structures
- Silica dust and noise
- Highwall failures and engulfment in stockpiles
Training
- MSHA Part 46 (sand, gravel, crushed stone and similar surface operations): 24 hours of new miner training and 8 hours of annual refresher.
- Contractors working on mine property need site-specific hazard awareness training, and often Part 46 or Part 48 training.
Key practices
- Do workplace exams and pre-shift equipment checks.
- Lock and tag out before working on crushers, conveyors and screens.
- Maintain berms at least mid-axle height of the largest vehicle on haul roads and dump points.
- Wear seatbelts; follow traffic patterns; use horns before moving.
- Never stand on or near the toe of a stockpile or under a highwall.
Haul roads and berms
- Haul trucks have huge blind spots. Smaller vehicles must use flags or lights and stay in contact by radio.
- Berms along drop-offs and at dump points help keep trucks from going over the edge, but they won’t stop a loaded truck at speed.
- Keep roads graded, watered for dust and free of potholes. Follow posted speed limits and right-of-way rules.
Stockpiles and surge piles
Workers have been buried when stockpiles collapsed or when they stood over a hidden void above a draw-off feeder. Never walk on stockpiles over feeders, never dig into the toe of a pile by hand, and lock out feeders before any work near them.
Crushers and conveyors
- Lock and tag out before clearing a crusher or working on a conveyor. MSHA has a long list of deaths from skipping this. See Lockout/Tagout.
- Keep guards on tail pulleys and head pulleys. Never clean around a running conveyor.
- Use the conveyor’s emergency stop pull cords, and test them.
Shift checklist
- Workplace examination done for my area
- Pre-shift equipment check done and defects reported
- Seatbelt on; radio working
- Berms in place at dump points
- Guards on conveyors; locks and tags ready
- Respirator and hearing protection for dusty and noisy areas
See MSHA vs. OSHA.
Standards & references
- MSHA
- See also: MSHA vs. OSHA
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