DOL and North American Quarry Reach Settlement in Fatal Incident
The agency says inadequate training and unsafe working conditions led to a fatality
According to a report, North American Quarry have agreed to pay $360,000 in penalties and accept three flagrant violations and one high negligence violation after a driller suffered fatal injuries while attempting to load a threaded drill steel into a drilling machine.
The MSHA determined the contractor trained the miner in a way that led to the accident. The agency also determined the company intentionally removed an emergency-stop switch from the drill prior to the accident.
“Miners should not have to risk their lives to earn a living,” said Jeffrey S. Rogoff, regional solicitor for the department in New York. “This case demonstrates how important it is to train miners for the hazardous tasks they are assigned to perform.”