This tragedy is a sad example of why OSHA says…
Entry … is considered to have occurred as soon as any part of the entrant's body breaks the plane of an opening into the space.
I am not sold on MSHA’s Root Cause Analysis, but we can all learn a lot from this tragedy and apply it to our non-mining workplaces!
On November 22, 2025, between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., a 60-year-old plant operator with over 27 years of mining experience died after he was engulfed by material at the Silo No. 6 access door. He was in the process of cleaning and clearing a blockage in the silo.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., a worker returned to check on the deceased and found him unresponsive with a portion of his right upper body inside the silo access opening. The co-worker used his radio to conduct an “all call” for assistance. The day shift foreman arrived
first and instructed the coworker to call 911. Eddy County Fire and Rescue received the call at 3:32 p.m. The shift foreman contacted the production manager, who was off-site, and the plant manager.
At 3:54 p.m., Eddy County Fire and Rescue arrived at the mine, assessed the deceased, and began recovery efforts. The New Mexico state medical examiner pronounced the worker deceased at 6:30 p.m.
The accident investigator conducted an analysis to identify the underlying cause of the accident.
The investigator identified the following root cause, and the mine operator implemented the corresponding corrective action to prevent a recurrence.
Root Cause: The mine operator did not equip Silo No. 6 with effective means of handling material to prevent the plant operator from being required to enter or work where he was exposed to entrapment by caving or sliding materials.
Corrective Action: The mine operator sealed all silo access doors by welding and cut vents in the tops of the silos to wash out remaining salt with water hoses. The mine operator developed and implemented a written procedure to use the vents when cleaning and clearing blockages from the silos.
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