Everyone at a site should participate in routine
highwall safety instruction, including sharing tips for working at the
top as well as on the bottom of a highwall. Safety belts and lines
should be worn by workers who are working within 6 feet of a crest or
unstable ground; hard hats should be worn by all workers.

A supervisor or other competent person must examine
the working area and the working faces for unsafe conditions at the
beginning of each shift and after blasting. Highwall banks, benches, and
terrain sloping into the work areas should be examined after each rain,
freeze, or thaw before work begins in the area. Overhanging highwalls
should be taken down and other unsafe ground conditions corrected or
warning signs posted.

Miners must inspect their working place before
starting work and be aware of any changes in conditions. Any unsafe
condition must be reported and corrected. Cracks, cavities, and other
unstable areas should be identified, marked, and avoided.

Heavy equipment can cause rock falls if driven on
unstable ground at the crest of a highwall or along a bench.

Miners should avoid working between mobile
equipment and the highwall, where escape routes may be blocked if a
rockslide begins.

To avoid accidents, MSHA recommends the following
best practices:

• Examine and monitor highwall often.

• Follow ground control plan.

• Train miners to recognize hazardous highwall conditions.

• Scale down or support the hazardous highwall areas.

• Keep drill and other mobile equipment
  operators away from highwall face or highwall hazards by positioning
  them in safe locations.

• Employ mining methods that will maintain wall,
  bank, and slope stability in places where persons work or travel.

Information contained in this
article was provided through the Safety & Health Committee of the
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.

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