On Thursday, September 28, 2017, a 39-year-old miner with ten years of mining experience received fatal injuries when coal from the longwall face rolled out and completely covered him. The victim was assisting with roof bolting by untangling the mesh during the longwall recovery process. At the time of the accident, the victim was located between the coal face and the pan line.
- DO NOT ENTER the panline, or any immediate work area, unless the roof and longwall face have been made safe. This includes reducing exposure by minimizing the distance from the face to the tips of the shield.
- Scale roof, face, and ribs with a bar of suitable length and design or other safe means.
- Ensure miners are trained on the minimum requirements of the approved roof control plan.
- Conduct thorough and more frequent examinations of the roof, face, and ribs when miners work or travel close to the longwall face, and continuously monitor for changing conditions
- Before beginning a longwall recovery, ensure miners are trained to recognize the hazards associated with the recovery area.
- Be aware of and correct potential hazards when working or traveling near mine ribs, especially when conditions exist that could cause roof or rib disturbance.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).