Operator Death Tied to Lack of Training: Investigators

By: Alan Halaly
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS)

A construction worker for a Nevada gold mining exploration project fell 800 feet to his death on the job in May, sparking an investigation from state mining safety regulators.

Lon Shane Jarvis, 56, had been operating a 2009 John Deere 240D LC excavator to build a drill pad for the Lapon Canyon Gold project, according to a fatality investigation report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The machine rolled down a cliffside onto an access road.

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Regulators found that the construction contractor, Merritt Construction Inc., did not conduct mandatory examinations of equipment or workplace conditions, nor did Jarvis get adequate training. As a result of the investigation, the company must hold a safety meeting to train all mobile equipment operators and supervisors on necessary paperwork and provide evidence to the state that company trainers will take a re-training class.

“The investigation’s findings reinforce the essential responsibility of operators to provide comprehensive, task-specific training for all personnel assigned to mobile or heavy equipment,” a spokesperson for the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations said. “It is equally imperative that daily workplace examinations are conducted with diligence to proactively identify and eliminate potential hazards.”

The division’s mine safety and training section does not have the authority to fine operators—only the attorney general’s office or a local district attorney can, according to state law. The administrator of the division can notify those state attorneys if a mine operator refuses to comply with an order.

Neither Merritt Construction nor Canadian mining exploration company Walker River Resources Corp. responded to multiple requests for comment.

The gold project, which began drilling less than a week prior to Jarvis’ death to confirm the value of the deposit, is located 40 miles southeast of Yerington, a city that is about 370 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The May 28 death is the first and only mining fatality of 2025, the state spokesperson said. It marks the 958th mining employee who has died on the job since Nevada began collecting data in 1909.

As safety regulations have evolved over the decades, on-the-job mining deaths have tapered off in Nevada. Zero were recorded in 2024, and 35 deaths have occurred in the last 20 years.

In a report to the state Mining Oversight and Accountability Commission, the mine safety and training section said a program geared toward prioritizing safety of those who operate mobile equipment went into effect in July 2024. A high portion of mining deaths in recent years have involved mobile equipment—an “adverse trend,” regulators wrote.

Lon Shane Jarvis

Jarvis had 15 years of experience working in mines and two with the construction company, the state found.

A post-mortem investigation conducted by the Washoe County medical examiner found that Jarvis tested positive for methamphetamine, the stimulant amphetamine and Benadryl, according to the investigative report. The Mineral County Sheriff’s Office tested a white vial found in his pocket and preliminarily confirmed it was meth.

In an obituary printed in The Challis Messenger newspaper of Challis, Idaho, Jarvis’ family said the loss was sudden and unexpected. His family could not be reached for comment for this story.

Jarvis played for the Mackay Miners football team as a kid up in Mackay, Idaho—named after John Mackay, who pioneered the early Nevada Comstock Lode silver deposit that helped grant Nevada its statehood.

He is survived by both of his parents, a brother and his six children, according to the obituary.

Jarvis’ cousin, at the Mackay Rodeo in June, read a eulogy that discussed his dedication to the rodeo culture of the West. The family posted a copy of the speech online.

“Shane lived his life with the heart of a cowboy — full of courage, resilience and an unwavering sense of humor and adventure,” the eulogy stated. “His dedication to the cowboy way of life was evident in everything he did, from the care he took in his craft to his carefree way of life, and to the respect he showed for the animals and the land.”