On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, at approximately 4:55 p.m., a 63-year-old roof bolter with 40 years of mining experience was killed when he was struck by a large piece of roof rock while installing a rib bolt on the right side of the number 8 right crosscut on the No. 1 Section. The victim was between the drill head and the ATRS when the roof fell on him. The rock was approximately 6 feet long by 5.5 feet wide and about 5 inches thick.
Best Practices
- Conduct frequent and adequate examinations of the roof, face, and ribs. Be alert for changing conditions at all times. When hazardous conditions are detected, danger off access to the area until it is made safe for work and travel.
- Develop and follow safe rib bolting procedures. Consult the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Adequately support, or scale down, any loose roof or rib material from a safe location before working or traveling in the area.
- Ensure that Automated Temporary Roof Support (ATRS) systems on all roof bolting machines are maintained in good working condition.
- Ensure that the approved Roof Control Plan is followed and is suitable for the geologic conditions encountered at the mine. If conditions change and cause the plan to no longer be suitable, the plan must be revised to provide adequate support for the control of the roof, face, and ribs.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf).