On Nov. 13, 2010, a 42 year- old contract mechanic with 23 years of experience died at a sand and gravel operation, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

The victim was underneath a front-end loader, with the engine running, checking a hydraulic fluid leak when the machine moved and rolled over him. The machine was parked on a slight grade, the bucket was raised off the ground, and no wheel chocks were in place.

MSHA offers these best practices to prevent against accidents such as this in the future:

• Train persons to recognize work place hazards.
• Establish safe work procedures before a task is performed and ensure that the safe work procedures are followed.
• Set the park brake and securely block equipment and components against hazardous motion at all times while performing repair or maintenance work.
• Do not rely on hydraulic systems to hold mobile equipment stationary during repairs or maintenance.
• Lower the bucket to the ground when parking mobile equipment.