On Tuesday, October 7, 2014, a 31-year-old utility worker, with 13 years of mining experience, was killed after he crawled 37 feet into an entry mined with a highwall mining machine to retrieve a broken cutter-head-chain from the mining machine. A rock, 8 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 16 inches thick fell on him. He was initially transported to a local hospital and was being airlifted to a larger medical facility when he died.
Best Practices
- Never go under unsupported roof.
- Never enter a hole mined with a highwall mining machine or auger without a specific, detailed, and approved plan to do so.
- Develop a plan to remotely retrieve any part of a highwall mining machine caught or left in an entry. The plan must specify methods which do not expose miners to hazards. Train all personnel in such plans.
- Know and follow the provisions of the established Ground Control Plan.
- Establish Ground Control Plans for highwall mining operations that ensure safety and address web spacing, depth of penetration, and confined work areas.
- Keep all equipment in proper working order by establishing and implementing maintenance schedules.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)