Mining Publication: Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls from Front-end Loaders

Front-end loaders are the workhorses in mining and are ubiquitous to many operations.

Unfortunately, slips, trips and falls (STFs) are also commonplace at mine sites. Many non-fatal injuries occur when getting on (ingress) and off of (egress) equipment at surface mines.

Mobile equipment, such as front-end loaders, tractor-shovels, payloaders, high-lifts and skip loaders, account for the largest proportion of these non-fatal injuries. The high prevalence of slip and fall injuries when getting on and off of equipment, especially front-end loaders, highlights the need to improve the safety of this critical activity.

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) examined 20 years of injury data to determine the injury causes, contributing factors and equipment characteristics associated with STFs on front-end loaders. Our key findings and recommendations from that analysis can be used by mining companies to improve worker safety during ingress and egress from front-end loaders.