MSHA's recent
hazard alert focuses on the dangers of unexpected conveyor belt start-ups. According to the agency, three miners lost their lives in the past 20 months when a belt conveyor started because its drive motor was not deenergized, locked and tagged. MSHA's
alert provides best practices to avoid such fatalities, some of which include training miners on general tasks assigned, providing a prestart-up alarm and visually checking a conveyor before start-up.
