Santiago Cortez, tire company serviceman, age 49, was fatally injured about 3:30 p.m., March 15, 1997, when he was struck by a tire he was mounting on a front-end loader. Cortez had worked in the tire service business as an employee for 17 years, and had 11 months mine related experience. He had not received training in accordance with Part 48, but was task trained in April of 1996.
Mark Long, operations manager for Blue Diamond Materials/Livingston Graham, notified MSHA of the accident at 5:12 p.m., March 15, 1997. An investigation was started the following day.
The Eagle Valley Quarry was a single bench sand and gravel mine located in Corona, Riverside County, California. A total of 14 employees worked two 8-hour shifts, 5 days per week. Sand and gravel were mined, processed, and stockpiled using conventional mining methods. The material was used for road base and asphalt aggregate in road construction.
The principal operating official for May Tire Company was Edwin May, president. It was a small company of less than 20 employees that provided a variety of tire services to industry in the Southern California area.
May Tire Company also provided similar services to other quarries in the Eagle Valley Quarry area.
MSHA’s last regular safety and health inspection of the Eagle Valley Quarry was conducted from August 23, through August 28, 1996. Another regular inspection was conducted after the fatal investigation.
Last Updated: 23/01/2023 03:16:53pm