On Wednesday, June 16, 2010, a 42 year old Section Foreman with 17 years of mining experience was fatally injured. While he was installing rib support, a section of rib 12 feet wide x 15 feet 6 inches high x 9 feet thick fell, knocking over a roof jack that struck him.
Best Practices
- Conduct roof evaluations when entering a previously mined area for the purpose of pillar recovery.
- Support loose ribs or roof adequately or scale down material before beginning work.
- Conduct thorough pre-shift examinations and on-shift examinations of the roof, face, and ribs immediately before work or travel is in an area and thereafter as conditions warrant.
- Know and follow the approved roof control plan. Take additional measures to protect persons if unusual hazards are encountered.
- Assure the roof control plan is suitable for prevailing geologic conditions. Revise the plan if conditions change and the support system is not adequate to control the roof, face, and ribs.
- Be alert to changing geological conditions which may affect roof, rib, and face conditions.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Spanish Fatalgram (pdf)