Safety & Risk Management • Mine Inspection

201 South 3rd Avenue West • Government Services Center • Virginia MN 55792
Phone: (218) 742-9841 • Fax (218) 471-7270 • e-mail: harbind@stlouiscountymn.gov

Mine Inspectors Office

Safety & Risk Management

St. Louis County

Virginia Government Services Center
201 South 3rd Avenue West
Virginia, MN 55792

Report of Investigation

Surface Metal Mine

(Iron Ore)

Fatal Power Haulage Accident

November 5th, 2019

Minora Mine
Mittal Steel USA – Minorca Mine Inc.
Virginia, St. Louis County, Minnesota
Mine I.D. No. 21-02449

Investigators

Derek P. Harbin
Mine Inspector

David R. Hamalainen
Assistant Mine Inspector
 Safety & Risk Management • Mine Inspection
201 South 3rd Avenue West • Government Services Center • Virginia MN 55792
Phone: (218) 742-9841 • Fax (218) 471-7270 • e-mail: harbind@stlouiscountymn.gov

Incident Type: ☐ Near-Miss ☐ Injury ☐ Damage ☐ Safety ☐ Environmental

Outcome: ☐ On-Site First Aid ☐ Advanced Medical Care ☐ Time Loss ☒ Fatal

Date of Incident: 11/5/2019 Date Reported: 11/5/2019

Time of Incident: 9:35 A.M. Location of Incident: Haul Rd. closest to the beaver pond – At
dry sediment basin 48 – Mattson was headed east towards the Lynx, Laurentian, and East Pit.

Name of person(s) affected by Incident: Ken Mattson – Maintenance Technician Mechanic (LG4)

General Duties of Affected: Any type of vehicle maintenance needed in the mining area.

Years of Experience: 15.6 Years Hours Worked in Previous Week: 45 hours worked the previous week – works 9
hour days – M thru F schedule – Started work at 4:55 AM the day of the incident. Works on average 5 hours of OT a
week.

Equipment Being Used: Service Truck - 2012 Freightliner M2 Business Class

Description of Injuries: Fatal – Autopsy being done. Reports of blunt force trauma-traumatic injuries

Description of Incident: Arcelor’s Description: There were no witnesses to the fatal incident. All we know at this time is
“the service truck rolled throwing the operator from the cab, resulting in a fatality”.

St. Louis County Mine Inspectors Office Investigation notes as of 11/6/2019 (This is speculation at this time based on our
observations of the accident scene and information gathered throughout the investigation)
Investigated by: Derek Harbin and David Hamalainen
Accompanied by: Mark Anderson (Company Safety, Reed Milos (Union Safety), Tom French (Union Safety), Chris Hensler
(MSHA District Manager, Dan Goyer (MSHA Specialist), Duane Horgisto (MSHA Specialist), Dave Harn (MSHA Inspector)

Description:
The service truck was heading east on the haul road when the truck began to drift gradually to the right. This was
determined based on photographs taken of the tire tracks the day of the accident. The truck impacted the edge of an
opening in the berm called a dry sediment basin. It appears the front driver’s side of the service truck hit the edge first.
This was determined by looking at the visible damage to the front left bumper of the truck. The truck came to a rest
approximately 60 feet from the dry sediment basin. It is believed that the service truck did not completely roll, but
landed on the top of the driver’s side cab of the vehicle. The crane on the back of the service truck was dislodged and is
believed to have impacted the ground with the roof of the cab keeping the truck on its side. The victim was found
minutes after the incident occurred outside of the truck in the roadway. It does not appear he was wearing a seatbelt at
the time of the accident. According to Battalion Chief Erik Jonassen from the Virginia fire department, they were
dispatched to a crash at 9:40 a.m. and the report of a person not breathing. When they arrived, medics determined the
person was deceased. It is unknown at this time what caused the vehicle to gradually drift to the right.
Equipment: There were no mechanical defects observed during the investigation that could be conclusively linked to the
root cause of the accident. The tires exhibited adequate tread depth and appeared to be in good condition. The seatbelt
 Safety & Risk Management • Mine Inspection
201 South 3rd Avenue West • Government Services Center • Virginia MN 55792
Phone: (218) 742-9841 • Fax (218) 471-7270 • e-mail: harbind@stlouiscountymn.gov

was found unfastened leading us to the conclusion that Mattson was not wearing it. The seatbelt was not tested for
functionality by our county inspectors due to MSHA’s 103(k) order.
Weather: Weather is not believed to be a contributing factor. The weather was 17° with clear skies.
Roadway: The haul road at the location of the accident is made of hard packed material and was maintained in good
condition. The berms were more than sufficient in height and width. The overall construction and design of this stretch
of haul road was above required safety standards. The road is relatively level with little to no grade.
The Mine Inspector Office requested: work place exams, pre-use inspections, past work orders, PM’s, task training,
internal incident report, and OEM info. (All documents requested were obtained. All documents showed regulatory
requirements were met.

Recommendations: Root Cause: Minorca’s policy requires all visitors and employees wear seatbelts at all times while in
a moving vehicle. It does not appear a seatbelt was worn at the time of the accident, which resulted in Mattson being
ejected from the vehicle.
Corrective Action: Minora retrained all employees on the seatbelt usage policy. Also, the seat belt policy was modified
to include performing a seatbelt functionality inspection prior to use to ensure functionality.

Possible Contributing Factors

☐Improper Tools ☐Terrain

☐Tool Availability ☐Vibration

☐Improper Maintenance ☐Ergonomics

☐Improper Guarding ☐Lighting

☐Faulty Equipment ☐Ventilation

☐Non- Employee ☐Housekeeping

☐Barricades Not Present ☐Biological

☐Plant Layout ☒Other (Seatbelt)

☐Chemical Hazards

☐Temperature

☐Noise

☐Radiation

☐Weather
 Safety & Risk Management • Mine Inspection
201 South 3rd Avenue West • Government Services Center • Virginia MN 55792
Phone: (218) 742-9841 • Fax (218) 471-7270 • e-mail: harbind@stlouiscountymn.gov

Submitted by:

Derek Patrick Harbin

Mine Inspector
St. Louis County Mine Inspection Office
307 S. 1st Street
Virginia, MN 55792
(218) 742-9841 (Office)
(218) 910-4753 (Mobile)
harbind@stlouiscountymn.gov