At approximately 8:50pm a ground fall was reported in the MBD2894. The ground fall occured on day shift and was witnessed by two geo techs. Approximately 150 Tonnes of material fell.
Turquoise RidgeMetal/Nonmetal
- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 200
- Years on record
- 2013–2026
- Latest incident
- Mar 2026
Reportable incidents
200 on file2026 · 6 incidents
At approximately 8:50pm a ground fall was reported in the MBD2894. The ground fall occured on day shift and was witnessed by two geo techs. Approximately 150 Tonnes of material fell.
EE was walking past an unoccupied jammer underground when they slipped and began to fall. EE struck out right hand to catch themselves, contacted a broken bolt sticking out of the rib, lacerating right palm. Seen at clinic, wound closed with sutures, and EE released to restricted duty. Site offering modified duty.
EE sustained a Standard Threshold Shift in hearing. Confirmed reportable noise induced hearing loss. Occupational exposures could not be ruled out. Confirmation received from Au.D. CPS/A, on 03/17/26. Retraining and refitting complete.
IP descended from an AD30 Haul Truck and stepped on a rock that shifted underneath EE's left foot, causing EE's ankle to roll, and EE fell to the ground.
IP was removing bolts from the cutting edge of a loader bucket with an impact gun. The bolt came unseated, and a sharp edge on the bolt lacerated the IP's leg above the knee.
2025 · 6 incidents
EE was changing out water pump when water from the pump splashed them in the face. They continued to work, finishing out the shift. The following day, they went to the clinic, was diagnosed with bilateral conjunctivitis. Released to return to work full duty.
Ee reported to company on 12/12 that on 12/7 EE was lifting and moving a spool of wire repeatedly throughout the shift. EE reports feeling pain that day and the next day. On 12/11 EE went to ER. On 12/15 EE filed a claim for workers comp for the incident, and on 12/19 it was accepted by workers' comp.
EE reported a rash on legs, seen at clinic on 12/2, diagnosed with rash. On 12/23 follow-up, diagnosis changed to chemical burns, EE put on restricted duty, making this reportable. Site offering temporary modified duty.
At approximately 7:25AM ground fall was reported in the TQR 3910 MBY001. The ground fall occurred at the face in that heading, approximately 150 tons of material fell.
Ee tripped on a backpack someone had left in the walkway. EE fell and hurt EE's right shoulder. Seen at ER, released to full duty. On follow-up EE was released to restrictions, and referred for PT if EE does get progressively better.
Two miners were setting up to load a round. They were scaling down hazards on the face. The IE then approached the face to inspect the holes in the burn. IE turned to talk to the other miner and was struck by a falling rock. IE was transported to the hospital, released, and referred to a specialist. IE saw the specialist and was scheduled for surgery.
2024 · 23 incidents
The employee was walking upstairs carrying materials when EE slipped on the top step and fell forward landing on left arm. The contact resulted in a fracture to the arm just above the wrist.
A regulator at the open pit guard shack malfunctioned causing two 120KV fuses to malfunction. This caused a power bump on the underground side causing the 4703 service cage to lose power.
At approximately 8:30 AM ground fall was reported in the FED 2464_1270 by the geo techs and the SMD shift supervisor. Approximately 300 tonnes of material fell.
Ee reports pressure washing a piece of equipment when debris shot behind ee's safety glasses into left eye. Ee was seen at Humboldt General, diagnosed with a corneal abrasion and given prescription medication. Released to full duty.
Employee was taking bolts out of the torque converter flywheel from an engine. EE's coworker was turning the engine over by hand to locate the bolts. Once stopped, EE stuck EE's finger in the hole to retrieve bolt but did not tell EE's co-worker. EE's co-worker started turning the engine over again and employee's finger accidentally got caught between the hole and the flywheel.
EE was bolting, and a bolt fell out of EE's fingers. The employee powered down to reinstall the bolt and was heading back to the bolter's cab when EE tripped and fell on a rock, striking EE's knee.
EE reports feeling difficulty moving neck (pain/stiffness) after using a wrench to tighten a bolt. Pain and stiffness continued. No specific incident, site cannot recreate incident. As of 10/2 workers' compensation has not accepted claim, however due to EE's report of pain, NGM is reporting to MSHA.
Employee experienced a personal medical event described by other employees as a seizure and included a brief loss of consciousness (30 seconds). Employee regained consciousness and was coherent and responsive shortly after. Employee taken to hospital for medical evaluation and released to full duty with no restrictions and non-occupational.
On night shift of August 22, 2024 a ground failure was discovered by NGM shifter on the MXD ramp. The dimensions of the failure: 15 ft. w x 12 ft. t x 6 ft. deep and started at the sill and did not quite reach the spring line. A cross-shift blast in the MXD 2853 West induced the failure. The ramp was barricaded and closed down.
At approximately 7:50pm a ground fall was reported in the MBD 2804. The ground fall occurred during shift change and approximately 300 tonnes of material fell.
Ee was walking to work area. Ee reports feeling knee pop and having instant pain, then fell to ground. No uneven ground, no work related condition reported. Seen at ER, put off work pending ortho evaluation. WC claim denied, but reporting per MSHA regulation.
The #3 hoist 4705 went down at 3:10 AM for ""brake issues"", the electricians were called up from underground. Troubleshooting was completed and found the bottom brake sensor was out of adjustment. Electricians backed the sensor out and the brakes released. At this point the sensor was adjusted to its proper location. The hoist was back up and operational at 5:14 AM.
Ee reports walking up stairs at work. Felt pop and pain in left calf. Reports inability to bear weight. Put off work pending follow-up on 7/16. On 7/19 determined not compensable by WC, however, reportable under MSHA.
4703 hoist alarmed to having a DCB low voltage fault. During the troubleshooting phase, it was found that the loop contactor wiring was brittle causing the wiring to short out on the metal framing of the loop contactor box.
Safety on-call received a call at 3:58pm from TROC Dispatch that there was a brush fire at the mill standpipe by the tails. Mayday issued, on shift supervisor was notified, and fire truck and water truck dispatched to location. At 4:40pm brush fire was extinguished. The power pole with the broken line was repaired by Western Line Builders contractor.
Ee was doing pre-op inspection on equipment. Ee walked in a sump area that had slurry in it, ee reports it was up to ee's knees. Mud went inside the ee's boots. Ee continued to work, and reports getting slurry in boots 2-3 more times throughout the day. Ee reported the incident that night. Diagnosed with bilateral chemical burns to lower legs.
The injured worker used a 24"" pipe wrench to loosen a joint. The joint was near eye level, and the employee placed the pipe wrench on the joint at a vertical angle and began to pull downward. In the process of pulling downwards the wrench slipped and hit the employee in the lip. There was a small laceration on the lip that only required first aid; however, the tooth was fractured.
All Nevada Energy line power was lost to the mine caused by utility poles being covered in wet snow but not damaged, resulting in the 4701 hoist losing power. No personnel were on the cage at the time. Escape was available via the 4315 service hoist. At 0810 am power was restored via generator power. Nevada Energy Line power restored at 10:39 AM
All Nevada Energy line power was lost to the mine caused by utility poles being covered in wet snow but not damaged, resulting in the 4701 hoist losing power. No personnel were on the cage at the time. Escape was available via the 4315 service hoist. At 0810 am power was restored via generator power. Nevada Energy Line power restored at 10:39 AM
Employee had just dumped haul truck load and got out of the cab to clean the pad. Upon re-entering the truck, the door became hard to close. As they put more force on the door, it accidentally closed and pinched their thumb near the door hinge.
RAM UG Elect team was being escorted from their UG work heading to the cage via UG UTV's. The escort pulled into a muck bay leaving the RAM buggy in direct line with the mucker. Before the buggy was hit the RAM team members jumped out of the buggy, the injured RAM employee fell and slid on the ground scraping hands and bruising left leg and ankle.
A loose guy wire contacted an overhead line. As a result, the underground lost power mine wide.
A loose guy wire contacted an overhead line. As a result, the underground lost power mine wide.
2023 · 28 incidents
A bolter operator was bolting the nose pillar in the FED 2627. The operator noticed the back move and while attempting to back out, the ground failed causing 50 tons of material to fall to the ground past the 8' primary anchorage bolts. Small material contacted the boom of the bolter causing no damage.
Business partner shifter noticed bagging of ground in the SRM 3285 and had new 8' swellex installed but they weren't anchoring. They made a plan to remove the bag and install 12' s their next shift. When the operator entered the heading on EE's next shift the bag was on the ground having pulled past the 8' swellex
Ee was working with another ee fusing pipe. EE reports moving a piece of pipe with arms extended forward, trying to position the pipe for fusing when EE felt a pop in EE's left arm. Seen at ER, diagnosed with a left bicep injury. Ortho referral resulted in surgery, done on 12/11.
#2 service hoist had a system issue due to a DHS fault triggered during routine maintenance by the operator, causing the HMI to lock up after a system reboot. Electrician contacted Tiley, hoist control system experts, and collaborative troubleshooting revealed an older operating program. A controlled system rebooted with an updated IP to address successfully restore operation
Attempting to break top sub off tooling using chain wrench while drill was rotating. Wrench struck employee in face resulting in laceration requiring stitches.
While troubleshooting the approach switches on the 4704 production hoist, it was found that there was damage to the wiring harness. As the wires were moved to see the severity of the damage, the main breaker in the E house tripped causing power outage to the production hoist.
#3 hoist tripped out with a drive fault at 12:55 am. All of the connections used to power the service hoist VFD were checked, and the hoist 4705 had a fault. As a result, the breaker was repaired and is being tested until end of shift on 9/21/2023. There were no personnel on the cage at the time of the event.
A faulty connection was identified on the Main Control Relay (MCR). During this time, we also found CR2 contactor getting stuck. The unit was replaced with a new one. There were no personnel on the cage at the time of the event.
During a storm event, TRUG experienced a power bump that ultimately caused the #2 hoist to go down
During a power outage our computer system recorded an under-voltage fault and the Genset did not auto switch as intended causing the system to fail.
EE was changing a filter with a partner. They noticed that the lid was not flush and the filter was not seated correctly. Working to seat it, the lid came loose and pinched the EE's hand between the lid and the filter housing. Seen at the Hospital, diagnosed with a fracture to the right middle finger, and referred to a hand specialist. Released to full duty.
EE was filling the accelerator tank on a spray truck when the hose split before the base of the valve, causing it to spray out and go into the injured employee's right eye.
During a power bump the hoist computers lost power, and when the power was restored, the software was having trouble displaying the correct version of the Tiley HMI program. Resulting in the number hoist being down for 44 minutes.
While performing 24 hour functionality test, it was found that the safety latches were not fully engaging the shaft guides.
On Hoist #3 not all of the dogs were lining/coming into contact with the guides, which caused the hoist to become down until necessary repairs are made. Having Hoist #2 and Hoist #3 both down, we evacuated the mine. Hoist #3 went down on the nightshift of 7/07/2023.
On Hoist #2 not all of the dogs were lining up with the guides, which caused the hoist to become down until necessary repairs are made.
EE was walking with a blast box, tripped over a rock, and struck hand on a wire. Wire went through glove, puncturing right hand. Seen at the ER, received a tetanus shot, and on follow-up at the clinic was diagnosed with an infection. Released to full duty.
Moving a piece of steel, lost footing and corner of steel plate contacted miner's right leg causing a small laceration.
#2 and # 3 Hoist down at 12:01 A.M. due to a power bump. Power restored at 12:10 A.M. #3 hoist immediately reset. #2 Hoist was not able to reset until 12:47 A.M.
During a thunderstorm, Turquoise Ridge experienced a power bump. When electricians reset the power, the hoist computer screen did not come back up causing the computer to lose its settings. The setting needed to be inputted manually.
Hoist number 2 went down for an under voltage card issue. Hoist #1 was still out of commission waiting on an encoder to be replaced. At 5:00 P.M. we evacuated the mine due to two of our 3 conveyances being out of service leaving us only 3rd shaft. All miners were out of the mine and accounted for at 5:51 P.M. The hoist came back up at 6:40 P.M.
An operator was bolting in the CTR 2970 at approximately 9:20 a.m. The operator was about to readjust bolter to begin installing more ground support. A small rock began to fall. The ground support began to fail past the long support anchorage. The operator got out of the cab safely but the boom of the bolter was covered in material.
Encoder malfunctioned causing hoist to not function at 100 percent capacity. Hoist was downed until encoder can be replaced.
The 3rd shaft hoist went down due to a blown fuse in the control circuit for the PT. Heat in the room combined with the tight tolerance of the PT fuses was the root cause. The fuse was repaired and the AC unit is also being repaired to prevent reoccurrence. The hoist was back up at approximately at 10:30 P.M. MSHA was notified within time.
An employee was troubleshooting a bolter for a hydraulic leak. EE reached EE's hand into the floorboard where the hoses were located when EE sustained an injury caused by a high-pressure hose line.
While routine maintenance was being performed - with no one in the conveyance - the brakes locked up bringing the hoist to a stop. Operators could not immediately reset the brakes and they began troubleshooting. The brakes were able to be released and the conveyance was put back into service.
While performing daily hoist checks the hoist drive was found to have 2 blown fuses, which shorted out the SCR. This caused an outage lasting longer than 30 minutes. Electricians were notified and they replaced the fuses and put the hoist back into service.
Ee was using a box cutter to cut a belt. Ee was pushing down on box cutter with both hands, and hand slipped, cutting ee's finger. Seen at ER, laceration to finger given one suture. Released to full duty.
2022 · 28 incidents
Due to recent, inclement weather, the upper limit switch on shaft #3 was frozen over. This condition was found during hoist checks and had to be thawed out before putting the hoist back into service.
The #3 hoist was reported as not coming back online after a planned power outage. Due to a miscommunication between personnel it was never inoperable. However, it was reported as out of service and called into the MSHA hotline.
There was no accident, illness, or damage. During a shaft inspection it was discovered that there was ice forming on the cage guides. Decision was made to idle the chippy and cage until all ice was removed.
EE was squatting to do a job. When EE got up, EE's foot caught on a concrete block, and EE tripped, falling backwards onto their left side on a concrete block. Reported that day. Asked to see dr on 11/7, diagnosed with a fractured rib. Released to restricted duty.
performing hoist pre-operation checks a communication fault occurred brakes unable to release. NGM and OEM technicians found communication issue with a motor current signal wire not being processed by the PLC. Wire was disconnected and reconnected. HMI/PLC was able to update and signal properly. After discovered and repaired hoist checks were performed and passed without incident.
IT was caused by the NGR relay on the 480V MCC tripped. Tripped do to an unknown nuisance ground fault. Thyssen electricians and NGM Electrical Engineers are inspecting and re-checking the relay settings.
Power was lost to the hoist for approx. 2 hours. No personnel were on the conveyance at the time of power loss. 91 people were underground at the time of the incident with two means of escape remaining available. It was found the SE330 neutral ground resistor monitor experienced a watch dog trip which reset the processor.
The #3 hoist had been locked out to conduct planned work on the drip trays under the service hoist sheaves on the headframe. At 10 pm on 10/2/22 when they went to start the hoist back up the drives failed to start. The hoist was backup and operational at 0729 on 10/3/22.
While transporting personnel to their work areas via the #3 shaft, the personnel conveyance experienced a power outage lasting longer than 30 minutes. At the time of this outage there were 20 miners on the conveyance.
The 4703 hoist tripped out about 30 feet above the 1715 level, after leaving the 1715 during the 5 pm man trip with 56 miners on board. The hoist was reset and tried to go up again, the hoist traveled about five feet and tripped again. Electricians got it to reset around 6:30 pm and then lowered the cage back to the 1715 station. The miners were offloaded and evacuated out the #3
Operating 5600 gallon water tanker. Loading water through rear valve. Did not insert R-Pin to lock valve open. Transfer pump created pressure against open valve. Operator inadvertantly contacted valve with right pinky finger. The valve slammed shut and pinched tip of right pinky finger. Finger was lacerated.
The hoist man was performing the checks on the 4703 hoist for an MSHA inspector when the cage traveled beyond the lower level limits. The shoes came out of the guides and the cage would not come back up past that point. The shoes would not line up with the guides and allow the cage to travel.
Jammer operator scraped the right rib up to the spring line to remove the bagged out wire from the previous bolt up. The jammer operator called for the loader to come clean up what was scraped out. While the loader operator was cleaning the material that was scraped down the back failed while EE was dumping material from the cleanup into the muck bay.
Injured employee was repositioning a horizontal 20' HQ drill rod to stack neatly on the rod rack when it slid into its slot on the rack, EE's right ring finger was smashed between the drill rod EE was handling and another drill rod already on the rod rack.
Number 2 hoist was tripped for low voltage coming in from NV Energy side which resulted in voltage card tripping
On 7/26/22 at approximately 9:10pm Hoist # 4703 tripped out (due to an under voltage trip) and could not, initially, be reset by the hoist person. The hoist person was eventually able to reset the hoist. The hoist was returned to service at 9:59pm (7/26/22) No damage to equipment occurred during this incident.
Hoist operator at shift change was running hoist checks. A spool valve test port failed causing the hydraulic system to go down.
Temporary power loss to Turquoise Ridge caused by an issue with incoming NV Energy line 147 to the site. 4701 and 4703 hoists lost power during this event. No personnel on the cage at the time. Temporary power was established via generators and all miners were hoisted to the surface until power was restored and hoist checks completed.
IP was pulling 7 5/8 casing on the 11th piece walking backwards and about 3/4 of the way down the truck IP lost footing causing EE to fall on the side rail and hitting the IP forearm on the railing resulting in a break to the ulna bone in forearm.
While completing hoist limit checks, the hoist operator was going into the upper limit checks when the hoist faulted out. The operator was unable to reset the fault and electrical department was notified
A 30' x 18"" x 6"" beam was being moved out of the batch plant building. The beam rolled and pinned the miner in a pinch point against a concrete block causing bruising to upper right thigh.
Ee was lifting a tire/wheel assembly onto the back of a flatbed truck when ee felt a pop and immediate pain in the left shoulder. Seen at a medical facility, xrays were negative for fracture, ee was referred out for an MRI and released to restricted duty.
A communication cable was worn out and caused the problems with the hoist. The damaged cable was found and replaced. No injuries happened during this event.
EE was stepping up onto a concrete pad and EE slipped, spraining left ankle. EE was seen at the ER, diagnosed with an ankle sprain, and released to modified duty pending follow-up. Site can accommodate.
On 1/26/22 at approx 1445 hrs, a fall of ground was witnessed by a miner working in the area. Miners were already actively prepping rehab in the area and reported this new ground fall to supervision. The area is already under ""K"" order by MSHA and previously to the find, a backhoe was removed from the area according to the plan.
Hoist 4703 stopped working after showing multiple faults and was out of service for a time. The source of the faults was investigated and repaired. Hoist returned to service at approximately 11pm
Hoistman was conducting pre op hoist checks when the hoist tripped on left brake wear switch. hoistman notifies supervisor and troc, who called safety. The decision was made to evacuate the mine on #1 hoist. The fans were taken down and #1 hoist was prepared to be used when we were notified that #2 hoist was ready to be reset, the hoistman reset the hoist, notified troc at 18:48
The reset switch had been activated during down time. On start up the hoist would not power up. The reset switch was found activated and was deactivated and hoist powered up and was exercised for two trips up and down the shaft. No interruptions or faults.
2021 · 20 incidents
On 12/17/21 at approx 0900 hrs, a fall of ground was witnessed by a miner working in the area. Miners were already actively rehabbing the area and reported this new ground fall to supervision (not beyond ground support). Because the rehabbing of the previously identified ground fall, was already underway this new material that trickled out was not perceived as reportable to MSHA.
Driver walking around the back of truck, slipped and fell on ice/snow, right leg bent back. Current medical consult scheduled for 12/28/21
Employee was in a man basket and put hand on the rail. When the basket was raised EE's finger got pinched between the man basket and the fork carriage assembly.
Employee was working on a damaged hose clamp. The tap broke causing employee to lose footing and employee struck the broken tap tool with hand causing a laceration.
EE was reinstalling a clamp on hose and used a pry bar to close the clamp. EE pulled on the pry bar with both hands and felt a sharp pain in EE's lower right side abdomen. Seen at Golden Valley, diagnosed with a hernia. EE is being scheduled for surgical repair of the hernia.
Ee and coworker working on face fan on scissor deck. Ee started to get headache, lowered deck down to take break. Ee near back of scissor deck and briefly lost consciousness. Seen by medics, cleared to return to work full duty.
At approx. 0700 am, fixed maint miners were beginning to perform their hoist inspections when the hoist tripped out and stopped approximately 19 ft. below the station on the #1 shaft. After a half an hour of entrapment, MSHA hotline was notified. The miners were brought to surface via the hoist at 9am. No injuries reported.
At approximately 12:30pm on 10.25.21 a washout was reported at the TR underground crusher pad (located on the surface north of the TR Underground admin building). It is believed that this washout of the crusher pad was caused by the excessive rains received in the region. Operations is developing a repair plan that be conducted once the area has dried out.
NGM Loader 3935 was tramming a Z50 truck battery from the mine to the 17 shop. While on the MAD decline, the battery caught fire and visible flames were observed. The loader operator was able to set the battery down in the drift and back away. It is unknown, at this time, whether or not the battery pack is still on fire.
Ee reports moving a loader tire and felt pain in their shoulder. Seen at Golden Valley, diagnosed with strained right shoulder, released with restrictions site can accommodate.
EE was using torch to cut metal. EE ran out of oxygen and when replacing the bottle, they loaded the bottle into the back of the pickup and heard a pop in the left bicep. EE lost all strength in the arm for a few seconds. Seen at Golden Valley 9/2, diagnosed with left biceps tendon rupture. Referred to ortho consult. LTI
Hoist tripped out on ""under voltage"" alarm and would not reset. Hoist down for 5 hours, while troubleshooting. Broken wire on PLC due to over torque on a termination screw. No miners were on the cage at the time.
Hoisted personnel on Cage #2 at Shaft #1 and struck closed vent doors causing over torque trip of conveyance. Hoist reset and lowered personnel to 1550 station to offload. Lowered conveyance #1 to transport personnel to Shaft #1 collar. Conveyance #1 tripped 175' up from 1550. After 36 minutes troubleshoot, miners were lowered to 1550 and vacated via shaft #2
Hoist was at a stop when Hoistman heard clicking noises in control room. Hoistman attempted to move the hoist with no response. The hoist began to alarm as several resets were engaged. Electricians tried to troubleshoot. Hoist consultants were able to find and correct problem. At no time was the conveyance occupied.
Ee was drilling underground. Ee set up the jumbo to start drilling, and went to put the collar pipe when rocks came down the face and hit ee's left leg, specifically the left knee and calf. Seen at a medical clinic and sent to ER for evaluation and observation. Put off work pending follow-up.
On 5/22/21 the 4703 hoist cage came in contact with material that had built up on shaft bottom. Cage was inspected and released back to full service after approximately after 2.5 hours of downtime for rope and cage inspection. After inspection, cage was released back to full service and deemed to not have any out of service defects.
A 6' round was shot the morning of 11APR2021. Loader Operator and Truck Driver proceeded into the MXD 2823 to conduct a heading inspection with no issues indicated. The mucker operator loaded the haul truck and returned to see that the right rib and back started sluffing. Barricaded the area, called Supervisor and returned to discover the ground fell beyond primary anchorage.
High winds at site caused a main NV Energy line on-site to arc out at the insulator phase drop; Due to power outage miners hoisting efforts were limited; miners affected were able to mobilize to fresh air, until power was restored to hoist personnel out of mine.
2 business partner employees drilling 20' holes for cable bolts in the back. Once completed on the right side of the drift, it was planned to move to drill on the left side. Bolter operator saw rock raining down & told helper to move to the right of the Bolter. Operator exited cab they heard popping & ran 20' back as the fall of ground occurred. Equipment was partially covered.
Ee kneeled down to work on a haul truck and kneeled on a sharp rock, causing EE to stand up quickly. EE felt a popping and pain in the right knee. EE was seen at clinic, diagnosed with a strain, and released with restrictions. After investigation complete, the claim was accepted as occupational by WC on 2/26.
2020 · 12 incidents
During #1 Shaft Conveyance maintenance and repairs. There was an electrical failure on the 4701 hoist. The mine was evacuated and troubleshooting commenced. No injuries occurred.
Employee was loading a pressure valve from ground level into an equipment basket. The valve rotated as it was being lifted over the compartment dividers. As it rotated and slipped, it pinched employee's left index finger between the valve and basket frame causing a small laceration and fracture to the tip of the finger.
Pinched right index finger between cylinder yoke and eye of concrete chute.
Two business partner employees had completed drilling the CTR ramp and were prepping to grout. While shutting off air and water valves the employees noticed dust coming from the left rib of the drift and then heard popping noises. The individuals ran from the area. A layer of Shotcrete ground fell on to the bolter. No injuries were sustained.
At approximately 4:00 AM employee was looking up during drilling cycle in the shaft spotting for the driller while the driller was moving the boom. Small pieces of rock came down as the employee was looking up and got into EE's right eye. The small piece of rock went over the top frame of the safety glasses.
Ee was working underground in the bolter bay doing regular duties. Following EE's shift, EE noticed EE's hands had what appeared to be burns on them. EE was seen at the ER and diagnosed with contact dermatitis from chemicals.
Employee was loosening a bolt on the core drill when the bolt broke free employee lost balance and struck rib cage on the saddle bolt on the drill
Ee was jump starting a bolter. Ee connected the jump pack to the terminals, and when the bolter started, ee started to smell acid and the jump pack exploded and struck ee's hand. Seen at clinic, diagnosed with small fracture to tip of the rt middle finger. Released to full duty on next scheduled shift.
EE was trying to close a hose clamp with a wrench, the wrench slipped, striking EE in the mouth. Seen at ER, diagnosed with a laceration to the mouth that required sutures, released to full duty.
Chippy cage in TRJV 3rd shaft came out of guides. The cage & crosshead wrapped around #2 hoist rope. No visual rope damages awaiting NDT inspection of ropes. There was never loss of secondary egress. Gave courtesy notification to MSHA regional supervisor and to the State.
Ee was cutting and loading a truck when a bolt came off the apron and struck ee on the forehead. Ee was seen at a hospital, diagnosed with a laceration to the forehead. Ee received stitches and was put on modified duty for one day, unable to go underground.
Employee was walking out of a muck bay and stepped over a small dirt berm left by a road grader onto the main haul road. When the employee stepped over the berm, EE turned to the left and sprained EE's left knee. Further medical evaluation is scheduled to diagnose full impact to the knee.
2019 · 11 incidents
Ee was cleaning an area and lifting a wheel barrow full of rocks when EE felt pain in EE's abdominal area. EE was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia and referred to a surgeon. EE was released to restricted duty.
EE put hand in pinch point resulting in laceration to hand.
Approximately 9:25am, two survey techs discovered a rib slough while performing scan of the bench. Area had been recently mined with autonomous loader and ops group was in backfilling cycle. The slough was about 115' from closest mining activity. Due to current mining activity (backfilling sill) access to slough was limited but was estimated to be between 600-800 tons of material
Approximately 7:30am, techs were conducting routine shaft inspection when they noticed 120 volt cable had become unsecure in shaft. The plastic tie wrap used to secure the cable had broken loose because it was old. After performing JHA, the cable was secured with nylon strap and techs continued shaft inspection. Shaft inspection was complete and back to normal operations at 10:08am
This is being filed in protest. Approximately 22h30, haul truck operator noticed flames coming from diesel particulate filter area of truck. Operator was able to extinguish the fire. Operator notified TROC of incident and evacuation orders were given for precautionary reasons. Mine was evacuated and all personnel accounted for at 23h23
Employee was cutting tops of utility tugger winch anchor bolts using a 6"" grinder with a cut off wheel. Employees right hand was on the body and trigger of grinder and left hand was on the T - handle of the grinder. The grinder wheel snagged and kicked out of the employees left hand cutting the left middle finger.
While taking the shoe off of a core tube with a parmalee wrench, employee slipped when the shoe broke free, employee fell to the ground and the parmalee wrench came free and fell on top of employee's left index finger causing a small fracture to the first knuckle.
On May 24, 2019 at 7:00 pm Grader 4239 was reported catching fire in the NHW Ramp to TROC. the equipment was immediately stopped, shut down, the fire suppression deployed. It was not confirmed if the equipment was fully extinguished.
EE was closing door on Normet mixer. EE's hand was in a pinch point, and when door closed, EE's left hand was caught, causing an open fracture to the middle finger. EE transported to HGH ER where finger was splinted and care was transferred to an orthopedist.
EE was stripping cable with a utility knife. The knife slipped cutting the right thumb. EE seen at clinic, stitches required to close wound, EE released to full duty.
2018 · 11 incidents
Ee was working on a truck ramp. The chock slide came down and pinched right third finger between the chock and the beam. Ee seen at a clinic, diagnosed with a fracture to the finger, splinted, and released to full duty.
Drillers helper was separating two 5 foot sections of pipe when one slipped and cut a finger.
Ee was using a hand held grinder when the cutting wheel bound up, causing the grinder to kick back, striking the ee on the chin. Sutures required to close the laceration. Ee released to full duty.
The operator of lube truck 4210 noticed flames on the equipment. Ee activated fire suppression and exited lube truck. The ee then used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flame. The ee inhaled extinguishing agent. The ee was transported to the hospital and was put off work pending follow-up. On follow-up, ee continued off work.
On June 14, 2018 a fall of ground occurred in the HGS 3159 Tire Shop area. The underground Geotechnical Engineer was called to the area at approximately 3:30PM. The area was inspected and identified a structure had moved, causing the ground to fail.
Ee was inspecting ee's equipment. The ee was lowering the door on the mixer when ee felt something strike chin resulting in a cut that required 4 stitches. Ee released to full duty.
No. 1 Shaft hoist operation was interrupted due to programming/electrical issues. Evacuation was initiated immediately. Hoist operation was restored at 2:10 PM.
No. 1 Shaft hoisting operation was interrupted due to programming/electrical issues. Hoisting interruptions occurred between shifts. Shaft hoisting operations were restored at 6:25 PM.
During operation of Hilti drill, ee's right hand came into contact w/ rotary section of the drill. Ee wore a glove on right hand, which became entangled in rotation of the drill. As a result, ee's hand was injured. Injury consisted of dislocation to middle and ring finger requiring stabilization, and cuts requiring sutures. Ee released to sedentary duty, TRJV couldn't accommodate.
An electrical power bump shut off fans supplying air to underground. The mine was evacuated. After the power was restored, the electricians were in the process of resetting all power. It was discovered that the clutch system for the #1 hoist was partially clutched-out. The electricians were able to reset the system and restore functionality to the hoist at 06:00 AM.
Ee was spraying shotcrete. EE reported EE repositioned sprayer and was in process of setting up boom when EE slipped, bumped the joystick, causing boom to swing to left, pinching EE's right index finger between the light bracket on boom and the remote holder. Partial amputation of right index fingertip involving bone.
2017 · 16 incidents
# 2 hoist tripped out due to an electrical issue and was down for more than 30 minutes. Someone had to drive from Winnemucca to fix the issue and the hoist came back up at 6:50 p.m.
At about 10:14 am, the hoist tripped out due to a power bump. This also caused a communication error between the hoist drive and the main programmable logic controller. No one was in the shaft when the power bump occurred.
Employee was using a grinder when the wheel came apart and pieces struck the employee in the face and shoulder.
Ee was operating a bolter. A/C unit not operating so ee had it fixed. EE felt nauseous with headache and tingling fingers. Taken to surface and given oxygen. CO finger reading higher than normal. Ee returned to work after O2 given. Seen later that day at clinic, where EE had denied ongoing symptoms. Released to full duty. Subsequent visit resulted in ee off work pending testing.
EE removing jumbo box off bolt, S hook failed crushing the EE's right hand between the bolt and the chain. EE scheduled for surgery on the right ring finger on 7/27/17. EE off work until post-op appointment.
While loading the empty core tube into the rod string the employee caught employee's thumb and middle finger of employee's right hand between the spindle bushing and the drill pipe.
During stemming process, EE was standing behind blast hole with EE's hand on top of shovel when skid steer operator proceeded to lower bucket to dump stemming. Employee's hand was caught in between bucket and shovel crushing EE's right hand.
Ee saw doctor on 06/27/17 and reported an injury. Ee stated to doctor that ee was operating a loader in mid-May and hit a pothole and the cab slammed down; ee struck head on the roof of the loader. EE was diagnosed with post-concussive syndrome and put off work. Site immediately began investigation which is still ongoing.
Ee was filling an accelerator tank when some accelerant splashed up into the ee's left eye. Ee was seen at the ER and diagnosed with an alkaline burn to the eye. Subsequent follow-up with eye doctor continued lost time and prescription meds for the eye.
Ee was coming down off a scissor deck, put EE's right foot on the ground, went to put other foot down and EE's right foot rolled off the tire trench EE was standing on. EE felt immediate pain, was taken to the clinic, diagnosed with an ankle sprain and released to modified duty, non-weight bearing and required to wear a medical boot.
EE was driving down ramp when the vehicle hit a bump causing the EE to hit head on the roof of the vehicle, bite down, and break a tooth. Tooth number 7 extracted, no other treatment, rtw on 5/5/17 with no limitations.
At approximately 4:35 pm an issue with the valve feeding pressure to the pinion brake cylinder on the #1 hoist lead to a failure of the brakes to release when the hoist was operated. The issue to the valve was identified and repaired, and the hoist was extensively tested before being brought back into service at approximately 5:46 pm.
During morning hoist inspection it was noted that the hoist would not respond to control commands. Investigation indicated that the computer that controls the hoist had stopped communicating with the hoist. The computer was rebooted and reconfigured, the hoist re-activated, checked and returned to service by 6:04am.
Hoist tripped out while being parked. Investigation determined a faulty sensor was altering track limit readings. Sensor was replaced and hoist checked and returned to service by 16:00 that same shift.
Employee suffered a Personal Medical Event while on site. Was transferred to local hospital. Initial diagnosis was unknown. Today 3/7/17 received diagnosis, ""Brain Bleed Stroke"". Employee doing well with prognosis being full recovery.
Ee was open/closing air door, latch came down and hit hand, causing an open fracture to the left hand pinky finger. Ee was transported by light vehicle to Renown in Reno where surgery was required to pin the fracture. Ee unable to return to the mine site until after follow-up on 02/17/17.
2016 · 15 incidents
EE pouring concrete had build up in line, when line cleared EE received concrete to the face/eyes resulting in concrete burns to the eyes.
Ee in wash bay washing truck. When ee went to get down off bed of truck, foot tangled in hose, and ee tripped, falling to ground. Seen at ER, laceration to left hand, contusion to left knee, and right thumb sprain. Released to restricted duty.
Ee was found unresponsive in an underground equipment wash bay at approximately 1:20 am on 11/25/16. Emergency response toned out, ee transported out of mine to HGH where EE was pronounced dead. Preliminary report from Humboldt County Sheriff on 11/29/16: death from natural causes, no environmental influences identified.
A power bump at 5:04 am caused the site to lose power to our hoists for an extended period of time.
While mucking on a muck pile in an exploration drift, approximately 30,000 gallons of water was released from behind the muck pile. This water travelled through the lower mine, washing roads and damaging one air door. No one was injured or trapped by the water, and only minor flooding resulted.
Ee was lifting a 75 lb pump into a tractor, felt a pop and pull in the low back, and had immediate pain. EE was seen at the ER, diagnosed with a lower back strain, and released to modified duty. At follow-up on 09/14/16, EE was released to full duty.
Ee stepped off a scissor deck, boot caught, and twisted ankle. Ee was seen at the ER on 08/31 and then by a specialist on 09/01, where they were given a boot, crutches, and released to sedentary duty. Follow up on 09/07 continued the sedentary duty.
At approximately 5:55 am, it was found that the Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on our #1 secondary escape shaft was not working causing communication issues. It took approximately 9 hours for us to identify the cause of the issues and return the hoist to normal operation.
A hydraulic valve was found that was faulty. Upon initial repair, it was found that the replacement part was also faulty. The part was repaired again with a new component fixing the issue. There was no damage to equipment, and no personnel were in the #2 shaft at the time of the incident.
EE noticed in April 2015 that ee had pain while kneeling. Over time, the pain continued and increased. EE was seen on 05/09/16 by Dr. who diagnosed ee officially with patellar tendonitis and stated that this was a work related condition. The ee is released to restricted duty, no kneeling and limit squatting.
Ee was loading a cylinder on the bottom deck and slipped, pinching EE's fingers under the cylinder. Seen at the clinic and diagnosed with a small tuft fracture. Stitches required to close the wound. Released to full duty.
A programming issue caused the #1 hoist to trip out. It took roughly 58 minutes to determine the cause of the trip out and to return the hoist to regular operation. There was no actual damage, just a programming issue which has now been addressed. No one was in the shaft at the time of the incident.
Employee bent over into a parts bin to get a pin and when EE picked it up to stand, strained a muscle in mid back.
A ground fall occurred near the entrance to the MXD2826 that entrapped 2 miners who had been working some 700 feet further up the drift. There were no injuries. The ground failed along the back of the drift for a length of approx. 15 feet and to a maximum depth of approximately 4 feet.
Ee was attempting to free a pipe elbow from dried cement. EE bent over and twisted and felt a twinge in EE's back. EE was seen at the ER, diagnosed with sciatica, and released to full duty. On follow up on 01/12/16, EE was released with restrictions.
2015 · 9 incidents
A programming issue was found with the ventilation doors in the #1 emergency hoists making it inoperable. There was no damage to equipment, and no personnel were in the #1 shaft at the time of the incident.
Three personnel entered the chippy cage bringing three tool bags with them. Their combined weight exceeded the designed operation capacity of the cage, and the hoist tripped out. As the cage had dropped slightly before the brakes engaged, the three had to be extricated from the cage.
While inspecting the SRM 3374, a miner came across a ground failure. Upon initial inspection, it could be seen that a large slab of rock failed, several feet below the springline, along the right rib of the drift. In addition, a large amount of unconsolidated material fell out as well.
En electronic fault was identified that shut down the #1 escape hoist. The mine was evacuated while electricians identified and corrected the malfunction.
Stepped outside to put the mop over the railing, when stepping back around, overstepped the landing and fell backwards hitting back and head on the step and ground. L-2 fracture in back and cut on back of head requiring 5 staples.
Ee was hanging utilities. Chain got caught on scissor lift, snapped loose, striking ee in face, cutting upper lip. Seen at ER and stitches were required to close the wound. Ee released to full duty.
The employee was lowering the end gate of a pipe truck, he dropped the retaining nut on the ground, when he stepped off the day-bed to get the nut he let go of the end gate. the end gate hit him in the shoulder and knocked him down when he contacted the day-bed with his chin. resulting in a laceration to the chin requiring 8 stitches to close.
Ee has had elbow pain that increases after using a double jack hammer for several years. Usually the pain will go away, but now it's been over a month and the pain has not gone away. He was seen on 04/21 and diagnosed with lateral epicondylitis and released to full duty. The epicondylitis was determined compensable by workers' comp on 04/30/15.
Ee was filling re-mix when shotcrete dust fell from above and he breathed in the dust. He was seen on the date of exposure and released to full duty. His condition worsened, he experienced shortness of breath and coughing, and he was seen 03/23/15 and put off work. He is being tested for reactive airway disease due to the chemical exposure.
2014 · 9 incidents
The motor field drive on the 4203 service hoist failed, causing the hoist to be down for a period of one hour and fifty-nine minutes until the drive could be replaced. No miners were injured or trapped during this period.
A switch on the brakes for the 4703 service hoist failed, downing the service hoist. No personnel were in the cage at the time. Electricians worked to replace the switch, and the hoist was returned to service at approximately 4:36am.
Ee was adjusting the tools on his mine belt. His utility knife blade was extended and he cut his right hand between the thumb and index finger. Taken to a medical provider and the wound was stapled. Ee released to full duty.
Employee was loading core bags onto step of the tractor, when he felt a pain in his abdominal area. Work Care was contacted, and told the employee he could return to normal work duties. *Didn't become reportable until EE started missing for surgery on 1/20/2015.
Ee climbing a jumbo to speak with operator, he placed his hand on the canopy slide and his finger went into the hole where the pin goes. The operator put the canopy down and it sheared the tip of the ee's left middle finger off. No fracture or bone involved, just the pad of the fingertip. Ee put on restricted duty.
Electrical fault in power transformer used for metering at the TR Sub Station. Started at the transformer and tripped all safeties on main switchgear shutting down power to site. Safety checks were made and determined that it was safe to use generators. Hoisting of men initiated & evacuation complete at 9:37am. Final repairs completed 8/21/14.
A failure at the Pinson Substation caused an interruption to the main power to the TRJV mine site. A problem with the fire suppression switch on the generators prevented the immediate resumption of hoisting.
The hoist control HMI overheated. This was noticed during normal PM inspections. Hoist was downed until cause was identified. Air conditioning turned on in hoist house. HMI came back up. Hoist released to duty after it was properly checked.
On March 19, 2014, the power to site failed, tripping out three hoists. Power was restored at 11:51am, and the hoists were reset and functioning by 12:42pm. The power loss occurred during calibration trip units on the main switch gear. It was determined that one of the trip units was incorrectly connected.
2013 · 6 incidents
A power failure at 06:42 caused the main hoist to trip out. The cager was in the cage at the time. Hoist was brought up on generators by 07:13 No injury to the cager. The hoist was brought back into full service by 8:28am once the power was restrored to site.
At 1:26am on December 22, 2013 the TRJV Mine experienced a power bump, that was later determined to be caused by problems with the NV Energy transmission lines . The bump tripped out the #2 man hoist, the primary access to the underground. Electricians reset the hoist at 1:52am.It took until 1:56am to run through the proper tests & put the hoist back in to service.
A capacitor bank on the main power feed to site malfunctioned, tripping all power to site. This tripped out the #2 man cage stranding 20 miners in the cage, some 100ft from surface. Men were stranded in the shaft until 18:15.
4703 Service Hoist had a failure of the 24 volt power system on the right hand brake of this hoist. Electrical component was replaced putting the hoist back in use.
Employee was moving a jackleg drill and dropped it on his foot. He was seen at the ER, diagnosed with a contusion to the foot and released to restricted duty. Upon follow up on 08/28/13, he was released to full duty.
While tying in a loaded round, a rock fell and struck the employee. He was taken to the ER where he was diagnosed with a broken right leg and sternum. Put completely off work and referred to an orthopedic surgeon.