Buffington Plant — Accidents

Total: 124 accidents | Fatalities: 1

Date Classification Injury Days Lost Narrative
05/08/2012 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None Kiln 5 experienced a ignition of coal dust that was contained within the mill system. No injuries or damage resulted from event. MSHA hotline was contacted immediately.
06/13/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 34d lost Injured was unplugging kiln 2 oxygen analyzer pipe when the air cannon cycled blowing hot dust into his eyes.
05/01/2011 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None Kiln 1 coal mill experienced a minor unplanned ignition of coal dust at 4:36am following a shut-down. No damage or injury occurred as a result of the ignition. MSHA hotline was contacted at 4:40am.
01/25/2011 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured finished cleaning parts in the parts washer then proceeded to bench to dry them off. Injured removed his hard hat and glasses and scratched an itch on his right eye with the back of his glove...
01/14/2011 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None Oil inside of Kiln 5 bull gear housing ignited at 9:39am partially due to kiln being shut down recently. The fire was contained within the gear housing and extinguished using hand-held extinguishers...
01/07/2011 MACHINERY NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was using hand-held drill to drill a hole for a bracket. The drill bit caught in the bracket causing the drill to twist. The twisting of the drill strained his left index finger. Injured di...
12/18/2010 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 5d restricted Injured was striking 1A tank with a hammer to attempt to get material to flow. When injured struck tank, lime dust fell onto him from above, entering into his right eye past his goggles.
12/13/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 136d restricted Injured was attempting to rotate the #1 turnhead to the coal silo position. As he started rotating the turnhead, it unexpectedly moved quickly causing injured to feel a ""pull"" in his back. Injured...
07/12/2010 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was cutting corrugated plastic hose for a Hi-VAC, to clean an area. Using a utility knife, the employee made a cut, causing the blade to slip and strike the employees right leg. This caused...
06/24/2010 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was wearing waterproof boot covers that were fastened to the calf with tape. The employee used a utility knife to remove the boot covers, when he accidentally cut himself on his left calf, c...
04/05/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was attempting to unclog a dust chamber when material broke loose, causing dust to enter the employees eye.
03/21/2010 IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST ACCIDENT ONLY None A gas lance was inside of Kiln 2 preheating, when the cooler fan was opened. This caused a draft within the kiln that extinguished the flame from the natural gas lance. Natural gas was released into...
03/07/2010 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None At approximately 12:37 pm, on 03/7/2010, the shift foreman reported a waste hopper being used by contractors was found to be smoking and on fire. The cause of ignition is believed to be lime that rea...
02/23/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 31d restricted The employee was taking a sample from the sample port gate when the cover plate struck her on the left hand. The employee originally reported the incident, but did not seek medical treatment. The fo...
02/22/2010 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None The maintance truck was used to travel to a tunnel to unclog a feeder jam. The employee left the vehicle idling, and when he returned to the truck observed smoke coming from the hood. The employee n...
02/19/2010 HANDLING OF MATERIALS ALL OTHER CASES (INCL 1ST AID) None The employee initially reported a back strain on 2/19/2010 after feeling a pain in his back while walking down a staircase. On 3/16/2010, the employee reported continued pain, after believing to have...
01/20/2010 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY 40d lost Driver was found on customer property requesting emergency assistance for leg injury. Cause of injury is unable to determine at time due to time constraints and medical attention needed. Investigatio...
09/25/2009 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 1d restricted Employee was operating the Hi-Vacuum truck, maintaining the hose connections. The employee was using a utility knife to cut tape that was securing the hose connection. The employee was using one hand...
12/31/2008 OTHER NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was cleaning out a dust chamber when a strong gust of wind caused dust to get in the employees eyes. The employee was wearing a face shield and safety glasses as is required for this task.
07/02/2008 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 6d restricted Injured was using a bar to remove a stone plug on a stone weigh feeder chute when he moved the bar and pinched his finger causing a laceration. Injured applied first aid treatment, but could not full...
05/12/2008 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 14d lost, 34d restricted Injured turned on a water valve connected to a hose in order to control dust near the waste pile. When the valve was turned on, hot water struck the employee's left thigh causing burn.
04/17/2008 OTHER NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was working under the kilns when a windblown foreign body entered his eye. Employee rinsed the eye immediately, but requested medical attention after his shift when the condition didn't impro...
03/13/2008 STEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 2d restricted Injured was kneeling in the walkway of 204 tunnel while cleaning under the conveyor with a shovel. Later in the shift, injured's knee became sore and medical attention was requested.
12/14/2007 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 76d lost, 22d restricted Injured was attempting to free a stuck feeder with a pipe wrench. Injured struck the pipe wrench with a hammer causing the wrench to bounce toward the employee and strike him below his right eye.
10/03/2007 MACHINERY DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 6d restricted Injured was removing coal mill liners using a pneumatic impact wrench. The employee was holding a bolt between his thumb and index finger when he activated the wrench. The head of the bolt caused a la...
08/09/2007 EXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 8d restricted Injured was washing stone fines in the boat house with a water hose. The employee shut off the ball valve on the sprayer causing pressure to build and the hose to pop free from the hose barb. When t...
06/14/2007 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was hitting a storage tank with a hammer to get it to flow. When the material inside broke free, a large amount of dust was generated. The airborne dust entered the injured's left eye.
05/04/2007 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was taking tank measurments on 6 tank when lime entered his eye. He initially rinsed his eye, but the condition did not improve and he requested medical attention.
03/12/2007 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 35d restricted Injured was raking coating the previous day when he developed pain in his left elbow. Injured requested medical attention the following day when the condition didn't improve.
02/21/2007 SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 49d restricted Injured was walking down the stairs on top of #2 coal silo. When he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner, he slipped on a patch of ice causing him to fall. When he fell, he landed...
02/10/2007 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was attempting to clean frozen material from under a conveyor belt with a bar. Injured was holding the bar, while another employee struck it with a sledge hammer. The employee swinging the h...
08/12/2006 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 188d restricted While attempting to open a manual slide gate, injured felt a pop in his lower back. Injured reported the injury initially, but did not request medical attention until 8/23/06.
07/19/2006 OTHER DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 1d lost, 1d restricted Inspecting bags and strong wind blew dust in face and eyes.
07/14/2006 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 7d restricted Steel cable choker was tied up around bottle neck. Employee went to remove cable to change bottles, cable was frayed and cut through gloves to fingers.
04/17/2006 MACHINERY DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 42d restricted Injured employee received a laceration to the back of his right hand when Kiln 1 auxiliary motor clutch came apart. A piece of the clutch struck the employee's hand, causing a laceration requiring st...
03/17/2006 POWERED HAULAGE DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 10d lost, 100d restricted Injured was attempting to train a conveyor belt by adjusting a return roller by tapping on the bracket with a hammer. When attempting to strike the bracket, the injured's glove became caught in the r...
02/20/2006 POWERED HAULAGE DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 1d lost, 5d restricted Injured was cleaning up around the facility with a small payloader. When the injured employee dug into a pile, the payloader bounced and jarred his back.
01/24/2006 OTHER NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None While performing an inspection inside the kiln #3 baghouse, a strong gust of wind blew through the doorway of a module creating a large cloud of lime dust. The dust blew into face and into eyes.
09/26/2005 OTHER NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was operating payloader when a bee entered his shirt and stung his left elbow.
09/09/2005 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 6d restricted Injured was opening flop gates when hot lime dust entered boots causing 1st degree burn to his left ankle. Injured was seen by the doctor and a dressing was applied. On 9/15 the employee returned to...
07/10/2005 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DYS AWY FRM WRK & RESTRCTD ACT 22d lost, 28d restricted Shoveling stone and thought he strained a stomach muscle. Currently being assessed for a possible hernia.
05/31/2005 STEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 3d restricted Slipped on rail track and twisted ankle while walking through center loadout bay.
04/17/2005 POWERED HAULAGE NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was operating 515 payloader across a bumpy surface. The employee steadied himself by grabbing the side of the seat. When the shock-absorbing seat lowered under his weight, the employee's ri...
04/17/2005 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Employee was attempting to open gates in #3 baghouse. The employee was preparing to use a bar for assistance. When he picked up and attempted to position the bar in his hand, he received a laceratio...
03/03/2005 HANDLING OF MATERIALS DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 1d restricted Injured was attempting to rotate the #2 turnhead into the stone position. The turnhead would not move with normal force. Injured exerted additional force, overexerted and strained his back.
12/28/2004 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 5d restricted Injured was using a cleaning bar to clear material from plugged material chute when he felt pain in his lower back.
12/24/2004 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY 6d restricted Injured was turning middle turn head with supplied turning bar. Turn head was difficult to turn so injured used his leg to provide extra force. While using leg to push on bar, injured sustained stra...
12/19/2004 HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured was attempting to clear frozen material from a chute with a hammer and bar. While clearing the material, the bar slipped and pinched the tip of his his left ring finger causing a tuft fractur...
10/14/2004 HANDLING OF MATERIALS NO DYS AWY FRM WRK,NO RSTR ACT None Injured found plugged spray head. While attempting to remove hose and unplug head, hot water splashed employee and caused minor burn to left hand.
06/22/2004 FIRE ACCIDENT ONLY None Hot lime from Kiln 5 cooler pocket dropped onto cooler conveyor causing ignition of the rubber conveyor. Fire caused damage to cooler conveyor and to misc. electrical wiring in the area.